Parking lot fight with judge leads to a plea

A woman pleaded no contest this week to a low-level misdemeanor charge stemming from a January 2018 parking lot altercation with Lakewood Municipal Court Judge Patrick Carroll.

Nancy Kelsey, social media manager for Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, pleaded no contest on Wednesday to disorderly conduct, a fourth-degree misdemeanor. Special prosecutor James McDonnell agreed to drop a misdemeanor assault charge that stemmed from Kelsey throwing a plastic drink cup at Carroll’s leg.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Steven Gall made no guilt and instead placed Kelsey into a diversion program. If Kelsey stays out of trouble and either pays her court costs, donates $1,000 to a charity of her choice or does 10 hours of community service in the next two months, he will dismiss the case.

Kelsey and her fiance were escorting Kelsey’s elderly mother through the lot when they crossed in front of Carroll in his SUV looking for a parking spot. Kelsey’s fiance told police that Carroll revved the engine at them, quickly swerved around them and clipped her arm with the SUV’s outside mirror. Kelsey grabbed the door of the SUV to keep the driver from fleeing the scene, and Carroll got out and started threatening to call the police, the fiance said in a written police report.

Carroll wrote in his statement that the fiance threw himself into his SUV, and that Kelsey opened the door and started screaming at him. Kelsey threw the plastic cup at Carroll’s leg and spilled soda on his slacks.

The Lakewood police department took statements from Carroll and Kelsey’s fiance before they handed the case off to the Cuyahoga County Sheriff ’s Department. The case was handled by McDonnell in Common Pleas Court to avoid any conflicts of interest.