COLUMBUS, Ohio — Former Franklin County Deputy Jason Meade posted bond shortly after he entered a not guilty plea at an arraignment hearing Friday, where he answered to charges related to Casey Goodson Jr.’s death, according to the Franklin County Clerk of Courts.
Meade was indicted Thursday on two counts of murder and one count of reckless homicide. Meade spent Thursday night in Franklin County Jail.
Prosecutors requested that the judge set a high bond given the seriousness of the charges. His bail was set at $250,000.
On Dec. 6, 2020, Goodson, 23, a Black man, was returning home in the Clinton Estates neighborhood of north Columbus with sandwiches when he was confronted by Meade, according to police documents. The sheriff’s office claimed he was in the area serving a warrant, but the warrant didn’t have Goodson’s address.
Meade, a 17-year veteran of the force, alleged Goodson reached for his gun, according to court documents.
Goodson was not the subject of the fugitive search. While U.S. Marshal Peter Tobin initially said Meade confronted Goodson after Goodson drove by and waved a gun at the deputy, he later withdrew those comments, saying they’d been based on “insufficient information.”
Tobin also said Meade was “not performing a mission” for the marshals at the time of the shooting.
Relatives said Goodson was opening the door to his grandmother’s house at the time he was shot. Officials said that a gun was recovered from the scene, but have not provided further details. There was no body camera or cruiser dashcam video of the shooting.
The case remains under criminal investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office with help from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Meade retired on disability from the office in July.
Soon after charges were filed against Meade Thursday, the Goodson family announced during a press conference that they have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Meade and Franklin County.
The 23-page lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, alleges Meade targeted and pursued Goodson, shooting him from behind. The documents claim excessive force and wrongful death were factors in Goodson’s death. It also alleges Franklin County is at fault for employing and training Meade.
“I’m overwhelmed with joy, my emotions are everywhere,” said Tamala Payne, Goodson’s mother, during the press conference Thursday. “We did it. We are fully aware that this is only the beginning of the fight.”
Tamala Payne, mother of Casey Goodson Jr., answers questions during a news conference Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio about the indictment of a former deputy who shot and killed her son. Jason Mead, the Ohio sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot Casey Goodson Jr. in the back five times has been charged with murder and reckless homicide. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
The autopsy report released in March shows Goodson was shot five times in the back and once in the gluteus.
Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin responded to the comments Thursday, saying he reminded his staff that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
“As law enforcement officers we must meet this higher standard because of the immense trust we ask the community to place in us,” Baldwin wrote in a statement. “It’s vital to maintain that trust, which is why I’ve tasked members of my staff to review the facts from the independent investigation when we’re able to fully access them and determine how this agency can best learn from this tragedy. This office has a professional obligation to do everything in its power to ensure the community and our deputies are kept safe. As I’ve said from the very beginning, I pray for everyone involved in this tragedy.”
