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As ruled by a federal judge on Tuesday, Trumbull County Commissioner Niki Frenchko's constitutional rights were violated during her arrest for reportedly criticizing the local sheriff at a meeting in July 2022. Frenchko had allegedly criticized Trumbull County Sheriff Paul Monroe's performance in the public meeting, which further led to her arrest.
Frenchko is reportedly the only Republican on the three-member Trumbull County Board of Commissioners. Shortly after the arrest, the Commissioner filed a federal civil rights lawsuit. She claimed that her First Amendment right to free speech had been violated.
Republican Commissioner Niki Frenchko filed a lawsuit after she was arrested for her comments against a local sheriff's performance
The chain of events can be traced back to July 2022, when Frenchko criticized Sheriff Paul Monroe in a public meeting. Soon, two deputies arrived at the meeting and took her into custody for the criticism. The entire incident was captured and streamed live on Facebook as well.
A misdemeanor charge of "disturbing a lawful meeting" was filed against her. However, she claimed that her constitutional right was violated in the process. ABC News reported that U.S. District Judge J. Philip Calabrese agreed on the scene. On Tuesday, an 81-page opinion was issued by Judge Philip. According to that, the judge stated:
"This case tests that longstanding norm as well as our Constitution’s robust protections for free speech that allow us to criticize our representatives and public officials."
According to Niki Frenchko's LinkedIn profile, she received her bachelor's degree in Social Work, from Youngstown State University, in 1999. In 2002, she completed her master's degree in Public Administration at Kent State University.
She began her career by working at CT Consultants as a community development specialist and continued till 2008. In 2003, Niki Frenchko began working as a realtor and in January 2021, she became the Commissioner of Trumbull County in Ohio.
Authorities later dismissed the misdemeanor charge against Frenchko
FOX 8 reported Niki Frenchko stating:
"When I saw the decision, it was absolutely vindicating."
She added:
"It has been a nightmare working with people who are out to silence you."
Judge Philip further wrote:
"As a public official, she used her position to needle the incumbents and, in her view, hold them accountable for their decisions. For their part, they viewed her as ignorant of the basic workings of county government and a nuisance, to put it mildly."
According to the judge, after Frenchko defeated Dan Polivka, she had become a "dissenting and often unwelcome voice" on the board. In July 2022, when the arrest took place, two deputies arrived at the meeting and told Niki Frenchko that she was disrupting a meeting. The misdemeanor charge against Frenchko was later dismissed, after which she filed a federal lawsuit in March 2023.
According to FOX 8, as per the lawsuit filed by Frenchko, ex-Trumbull County Commissioner Frank Fuda, current Commissioner Mauro Cantalamessa, the sheriff, and the two deputies violated several of her constitutional rights when they got her arrested in 2022.
