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Oakwood cop charged with assault in incident at Dayton pharmacy

Oakwood Police Officer John McCalister is on administrative leave after he was accused of assaulting a man inside a Rite Aid Pharmacy in Dayton. He was off-duty and out of uniform when the alleged assault occurred.

Staff photo by Kelli Wynn Oakwood Police Officer John McCalister is on administrative leave after he was accused of assaulting a man inside a Rite Aid Pharmacy in Dayton. He was off-duty and out of uniform when the alleged assault occurred.

Oakwood Police Officer Tiffany Conley McCalister is on administrative leave after her husband and fellow Officer John McCalister was accused of assaulting a man inside a Rite Aid Pharmacy in Dayton on Oct.14. Tiffany McCalister was a witness to the alleged assault.

Staff photo by Kelli Wynn Oakwood Police Officer Tiffany Conley McCalister is on administrative leave after her husband and fellow Officer John McCalister was accused of assaulting a man inside a Rite Aid Pharmacy in Dayton on Oct.14. Tiffany McCalister was a witness to the alleged assault.

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By Kelli Wynn, Staff Writer Updated 5:56 PM Tuesday, November 3, 2009

OAKWOOD — Oakwood Officer John McCalister allegedly punched a man inside a Dayton drug store after the man asked McCalister to exchange money with him, according to Oakwood Public Safety Director Alex Bebris.

The alleged assault took place Oct. 14 in the Rite Aid Pharmacy, 1158 Wilmington Ave., when McCalister and his wife and fellow Oakwood Officer Tiffany McCalister were off-duty and not in uniform, Bebris said Tuesday.

The man told Dayton police he asked John McCalister if they could exchange change so that he could wash his clothes at a nearby laundromat. The victim said McCalister cursed at him before striking him several times.

Tiffany McCalister witnessed the alleged assault, Bebris said.

The McCalisters refused to be interviewed by Dayton police, Bebris said. However, they will be interviewed for Oakwood’s internal investigation.

On Monday, Nov. 2, McCalister was charged with misdemeanor assault in Dayton Municipal Court. He is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 13. Both McCalisters have been placed on administrative leave.

In letters dated Oct. 30 to each of the McCalisters, Bebris said their alleged actions during the incident “amounted to conduct unbecoming an Oakwood Public Safety Officer.”

“Both Tiffany and John have prior incidents of discipline,” Bebris said. However, the details of those events were removed from their personnel files as part of an agreement between the city and the union that represents the city law enforcement officers.

John McCalister was a Dayton firefighter for 10 years prior to joining the Oakwood Public Safety Department in 1995. Tiffany McCalister was a Dayton police officer from 1999 to 2007.

The McCalisters’ absence creates restrictions for some of the department’s 21 other officers, Bebris said.

“It does restrict other people’s (opportunities to have) time off,” Bebris said.

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