The Johnson County Sheriff's Office says an EMT has been charged for an incident inside of an ambulance.

On Friday, Jeramy Goodnight, 42, of Columbus, was charged with one count of Official Misconduct as a Level 6 felony and one count of Battery as a Class B misdemeanor. The charges stemmed from a single car crash being investigated December 27, 2021, where the driver of the vehicle suffered some physical injuries and was believed to be intoxicated.

Medical personnel were brought to the scene to examine the driver. While inside the ambulance the individual began to become increasingly belligerent, and was restrained with an oxygen mask to prevent him from potentially spitting on anyone. After the individual continued to be belligerent to a female EMT inside the ambulance, Goodnight is alleged to have taken his hands, placed them over the head of the individual and pressed down on his eyelids with his thumbs, resulting in the individual screaming out in pain.

Two sheriff’s deputies were present inside the ambulance when the alleged incident took place and immediately reported it to a supervisor, who in turn requested someone from the investigations division look into the matter. The individual did not suffer any kind of serious injury.
 

According to Sheriff Duane Burgess, while it is never pleasant to have to investigate a fellow first responder, it is their obligation to do so fairly and impartially.

 
Prosecutor Joe Villanueva sympathizes with how frustrating those situations can be for first responders, but that there are certain lines which cannot be crossed.

“Police and fire personnel routinely deal with intoxicated or belligerent people.  This individual was handcuffed and not a physical threat to the safety of anyone inside that ambulance. Part of doing this kind of job is having a thick skin and letting comments slide, and that’s exactly what should have happened here. We will now seek to hold Mr. Goodnight accountable for his alleged actions in choosing otherwise.”

Johnson County officials say both the town of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh Fire Department have been very transparent and cooperative during the investigation.