Investigators find no recklessness by Cincinnati officer who drove over, killed woman in park

Cop who drove over, killed woman faces no felonies

CINCINNATI — A prosecutor has determined a Cincinnati police officer won’t face felony charges for driving his cruiser over a woman in a park, killing her.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters (DEE’-turz) said Thursday that a review of all the evidence shows no “reckless” conduct that would support felony charges under Ohio law.

Deters says in a release that witnesses said it was impossible to see JoAnn Burton under the blanket covering her as she slept in the park July 27. The prosecutor says Officer Marty Polk had driven his vehicle off the paved roadway when he ran over Burton but that officers often have to drive on the grass to fully check the park.

The Hamilton County coroner ruled Burton’s death from blunt force trauma as accidental.