COLUMBUS, Ohio – An aide to Republican businessman Bernie Moreno’s U.S. Senate campaign has resigned following an incident earlier this month in which he was confrontational with police in a small town near Columbus.
Colton Henson, a former campaign political director who more recently was a contracted campaign adviser, resigned Friday. The move comes the same day the Scioto Valley Guardian published police body-camera video documenting the arrest of another Moreno campaign aide, Abby Wright, on Sept. 1 in Ashville on suspicion of drunken driving. The local news outlet is run by Derek Myers, a former fringe congressional candidate.
Wright, who has a fundraising job with Moreno’s campaign, pleaded guilty two days later to reckless operation, a non-alcohol related offense that’s a fourth-degree misdemeanor, according to local court records. Henson, who is a village councilman in Ashville, was present during the arrest. Video shows him swearing at and being confrontational with police, who multiple times threatened to arrest him for obstructing the investigation, but who ended up not doing so. Moreno, who’s challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in the November election, has made being pro-police a cornerstone of his campaign.
“Respect for law enforcement is a core value of our campaign and because Mr. Henson’s behavior did not meet that standard, he has resigned his position. While we appreciate his service, accountability requires tough decisions. Bernie has personally called the law enforcement involved to apologize for the incident and reinforce his respect for the incredible job they do for our community,” said Chris Grant, general consultant for the Moreno Campaign, in a statement.
The video shows Wright being polite and complying with police. She said she had two glasses of wine to drink after she and Henson went to dinner. The video ends with her arrest.
“Ms. Wright cooperated and was respectful to law enforcement while they executed their proper role and duties. She has accepted responsibility, paid her fines, and has had her license and vehicle returned. We consider this matter closed,” Grant said.
Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer have reached out to police in Ashville for more information about the incident.
“Since February of 2021 I have been convinced that electing Bernie Moreno to the United States Senate is extremely important to the country,” Henson said in a statement. “Me as an individual should never be a distraction to that.”
The body-camera video published by the Guardian is edited. But it clearly shows Wright was pulled over near Henson’s house after police said she failed to stop soon enough at a stop sign. Police then walk to Henson’s porch to speak with him.
Henson, who had been a passenger in the car, asks one officer about the timeline for arresting Wright and taking her to the local jail. He grows frustrated after the officer fails to understand his question. When a second office tries to interject, Henson says: “F— off. How about that.”
“You’re being rude,” an officer responds.
Multiple times in the video, police say Henson is interfering with their investigation, including when he speaks loudly from his porch while Wright is performing a field sobriety test in the street. Henson says in the video that police are harassing Wright and that he’s trying to get a lawyer to the scene. “Are you going to tase me?” he says when an officer again threatens to arrest him for obstruction of justice.
At one point, Henson references Pickaway County Sheriff Matthew Hafey by name, although it’s not clear exactly what he said.
Andrew Tobias covers state politics and government for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer
