The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Oakwood officer charged in assault has case delayed

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.

Man, 68, drowns at Caesar Creek Lake
5/26/12
Water rescues prompt warning from health officials
5/25/12
Beach Waterpark sued for failure to deliver
5/25/12
Raleigh Trammell’s defense opens in felony trial
5/25/12
UD to move satellite campus to Dublin
5/25/12
> More headlines

By Kelli Wynn, Staff Writer 6:31 PM Tuesday, December 1, 2009

DAYTON — The Oakwood police officer, facing a misdemeanor charge of assaulting a man inside a Rite Aid Pharmacy on Oct. 14, had his criminal pre-trial conference continued until next year, a judge ruled Tuesday, Dec. 1.

Officer John McCalister did not appear at the scheduled in Dayton Municipal Court and was represented by his lawyer, Richard Skelton, who asked Judge John Pickrel for a second criminal pre-trial conference.

The next court date is scheduled for Feb. 23, 2010.

McCalister has been charged with a misdemeanor assault and is currently on paid administrative leave with the Oakwood Public Safety Department, along with his wife and fellow Officer Tiffany McCalister.

McCalister was caught on surveillance videotape striking 48-year-old Paul Watts inside the Rite Aid Pharmacy, 1158 Wilmington Ave. The surveillance videotape showed also that Watts did not attempt to hit McCalister.

Tiffany McCalister was a witness to the incident, which occurred about 3:30 p.m.

Skelton declined to comment following his appearance before the judge.

Oakwood Public Safety Director Alex Bebris said last month Watts was struck after he and John McCalister got into a disagreement when Watts asked him for change.

Watts received a subpoena from the Dayton Prosecutor’s Office and was in court on Tuesday. He did not speak publicly in the courtroom and declined to speak after the hearing.

A Dayton police report said that John McCalister had asked his wife to get a gun from their car. However, that police report does not indicate whether Tiffany McCalister actually did attempt to get a weapon.

The Oakwood Public Safety Department is currently conducting two internal investigations on the McCalisters. Those investigations are expected to continue for at least a week before they are completed, Bebris said.

Share this article