Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, is introducing “Holly’s Act” after a woman was violently attacked by a mob in Cincinnati late last month, in an effort to end what he calls the justice system’s revolving door for repeat offenders.
The attack occurred around 3 a.m. on July 26 near the intersection of Fourth and Elm streets in Cincinnati’s central business district.
Bystander video captured the moment a large group turned on several people early that morning, with one video obtained by Fox News Digital showing an unidentified man yelling racial slurs while being beaten in the street. Other video footage appears to show the male victim striking a member of the group shortly before the altercation escalated.
In another video, a woman later identified as “Holly” attempted to intervene before being slammed to the ground and rendered unconscious.
Despite the fact that over 100 people were present, recording, or taking part in the melee, only one 911 call was received several minutes later.
Moreno held a press conference in Cincinnati on Wednesday following meetings with city officials, the FBI special agent in charge, the future U.S. attorney, the police chief, and a deputy from the local sheriff’s office.
Moreno described the meeting as beginning “a little rough,” but ending productively.
Finally, he stated that everyone at the table agreed to work together to ensure that what occurred on July 26 never happens again. He also stated that he wants to ensure that anyone who lives in Ohio has the opportunity to visit any of its cities.
“We’re going to talk to some of our state legislators to see if we can put something in place that I call — with her permission — ‘Holly’s Act,’ which raises the bar on minimum sentences and bail requirements… “We’re going to close the revolving door of injustice,” Moreno stated.
“Our judges can no longer hide behind their cloak, and they have to be held accountable for not upholding law and order,” she said.
Every day, law enforcement officers risk their lives to arrest criminals, which requires going out and making difficult arrests. However, when these criminals appear in court, judges undermine police officers’ efforts by “giving criminals a slap on the hand,” according to the senator.
“Let’s be honest, because a lot of times you guys are qualifying this as a brawl,” Moreno told reporters. “This was an attempt to murder an innocent woman. And that person’s rap sheet was a mile long. Nobody with that rap sheet should be walking the streets of any Ohio city for free.”
Holly stood beside Moreno and stated that she was focused on reform rather than reliving the trauma.
“I’m here to talk about the future and how we can change it; how we can prevent this from happening to anybody else,” she exclaimed. “These heinous crimes must stop. I never want this to happen to anyone else, especially a mother, daughter, or someone I care about.
Holly believes that more police officers are needed in the future, as well as justice reform that prohibits judges from releasing people with a slap on the wrist.
“The man who attacked me, and might have permanently damaged me forever, should have never been on the streets, ever,” she informed me. “The fact that he had recently been released from jail for something for which he should have been imprisoned for many years. It makes me sad because I can’t imagine how many other people have been attacked by the same type of man in Toledo, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton.”
Holly stated that her main concern is the public’s desensitization to violence.
Holly expressed her hope that one day a bill will be introduced that would allow someone to be prosecuted or fined if they do not call 911 first to save someone’s life.
“We all need to help each other out and start helping humanity,” she told me.
One reporter asked Holly if she thought she was going to die that night.
“I truly felt like I was going to die,” Holly said. “I’m still shocked that I didn’t—and so are my doctors.”
Moreno told reporters that during the meeting, attendees discussed offering signing bonuses to police officers as a way to attract more employees.
He stated that, at the end of the day, increased police presence and technology will help to prevent incidents like the one on July 26 from occurring.
However, Moreno stressed the importance of civilians contacting authorities so that aid can be delivered as soon as possible.
“We’re not people that watch a woman get beaten to the inch of her life and our first instinct is to get out and videotape something so that you can be cool on Instagram,” he told me. “That’s not who we are.”
Dominique Kittle, Montianez Merriweather, Jermaine Matthews, DeKyra Vernon, Aisha Devaugh, and Patrick Rosemond have all been charged with “a violent attack,” according to police.
The FBI and Atlanta Metropolitan Major Offender’s Task Force arrested Rosemond, 38, on Monday afternoon in Fulton County, Georgia. The Cincinnati Police Department has charged him with two counts of felonious assault and aggravated riot.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office also charges him with one count of fugitive from justice for a fingerprintable offense.
He is currently being held at the Fulton County Jail awaiting extradition to Ohio, according to police. According to records obtained by Fox News Digital, Rosemond is a Cincinnati resident with no registered addresses in Georgia.
A grand jury is set to meet on August 8 to hear the charges against Kittle, Vernon, Matthews, and Merriweather.
