Columbus police officer facing domestic violence charge, relieved of duty
A Columbus police officer is accused of threatening to kill a woman.
Officer Brandon Herren, an officer who joined the Columbus Division of Police in January 2022, faces charges of domestic violence and aggravated menacing, according to Franklin County Municipal court records. He was arrested Saturday morning.
Herren pleaded not guilty Monday and was released on his own recognizance, according to court records. He is not allowed to communicate with the victim as a condition of his bond.
Columbus police confirmed Monday that Herren was relieved of duty. Columbus traditionally places officers on suspension without pay, pending the outcome of criminal investigations.
Columbus police responded just after 2:30 a.m. Saturday to an apartment complex on the city's Far West Side near Galena to follow up on an earlier domestic violence report, according to a probable cause affidavit. When they arrived, police met with a woman who told them Herren had threatened to kill her and another man earlier that morning.
The woman showed police a video recording of the phone conversation when Herren made the threat. The officers who listened to the recording recognized Herren's voice in the video, according to records.