Two Toledo police officers are under investigation for their conduct

TOLEDO, Ohio – Two Toledo police officers are under internal department investigation in connection with an incident on Jan. 1, a Toledo police spokesman confirmed, and it’s not the first time their conduct has come into question.

Officers Ashlyn Plough and Adam Hobbs are seen on dash and body camera video using strong physical force during the arrest of two women accused of reckless driving in a motor vehicle they pulled over.

While collective bargaining agreements do not release details of the investigation, video footage shows the incident began when a pair of officers stopped a vehicle they claimed was passing a tow truck assisting at the scene.

Melvena Smith was in the driver’s seat of the car and Kailyn Smart was in the passenger seat. In the TPD report, officers claimed they smelled alcohol and an open bottle of tequila was seen on the passenger side floor.

Hobbs’ body camera shows officers demanding the passengers get out of the car as Hobbs opens the passenger door.

“Why did you open the door like that,” Smart asked.

“You just went through an accident scene and you just hit another car,” Hobbs said.

Hobbs and Smart then repeatedly tell each other to shut up before Hobbs orders Smart out of the car.

When Smart doesn’t immediately comply with this order, Hobbs is seen yanking her out of the car, throwing her to the ground and calling her profanities as he repeatedly punches her with his stun-closed hands. A woman can be heard asking Smith to call her mom.

In the incident report, Hobbs wrote that Smart scratched his face several times and spit food at him.

Driver Smith then approached the scene. Officer Plouffe then grabbed Smith and attempted to handcuff her, but Smith backed away and began kicking Officer Plouffe in the leg.

Officer Plough then grabbed Smith by the hair, Officers Plough and Hobbs together wrestled her to the ground and handcuffed her.

Officer Plough then yelled for Smith to let go of her arm and could be seen hitting Smith several times while she was handcuffed. Smith and Smart accused Officers Plaff and Hobbs of abuse as they were escorted into a police cruiser.

Both women were charged with assaulting an officer, and Smith was charged with driving under the influence. But Smith was not breathalyzed at the time, according to the police report.

Specifically, the officers noted in their report that Smart yelled profanities on the way back to the station and was once covered in spit by a security guard.

Both employees have previous reprimands from the department.

Pluff’s first reprimand came after her involvement in the July 2022 arrest of Olympic boxer Oshai Jones. where she was warned for her “conduct,” cited for yelling at the mother and child during the arrest and several profanities directed at Jones. In addition, body camera footage during the arrest showed her hitting Ms. Jones in the back of the head while she was handcuffed, which was deemed justified because Jones resisted arrest.

Plouffe was again reprimanded for the incident in February 2023, when she was again cautioned for shouting during an arrest and using profanity.

Officer Hobbs’ first two reprimands were issued on February 19, 2022, while he was responding to a suspicious persons call. He confronted the suspect, who had several active warrants, but after a search, he turned off the body camera and let the suspect go.

The internal affairs report noted that Officer Hobbs failed to complete a thorough investigation. The caller was never contacted, no police report was filed, and Hobbs decided to let the suspect go, which the IA report called a poor use of discretion.

He was reprimanded for “dereliction of duty” and “recording of incidents.”

Hobbs’ last reprimand came on Sept. 30, when he was in the second vehicle in a pursuit of a suspect. He had to abandon the chase, but later returned as the third car.

He was reprimanded for caravanning the chase.