A recent federal court filing outlines allegations by two local residents that they were subjected to excessive force and retaliatory prosecution by members of the Xenia Police Department following their report of a neighbor’s violent behavior. The complaint, filed by Ronald D. Cobb and Lindsay E. Bradley in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio on April 17, 2026, names Officer Patrick Hollingsworth and Officer Nate Pointer as defendants.
According to the complaint, Cobb and Bradley allege that on April 19, 2024, they witnessed their neighbor vandalizing a car with a landscaping brick outside their home in Xenia. After calling 911 for assistance, Cobb attempted to restrain the neighbor, identified as Steven Manns, who allegedly struck Cobb with an object before fleeing. When police arrived at the scene, Officer Smith instructed Cobb, Bradley, and Cobb’s mother to return home. However, as they complied with this directive, Officer Hollingsworth arrived and ordered them to stop.
The filing states that confusion arose because Officer Smith had just told them to go home. “Bradley told Officer Hollingsworth to calm down and that Cobb had just been assaulted and was bleeding from his arm,” according to the document. Despite this explanation, Officer Hollingsworth allegedly ignored Bradley’s comments and attempted to detain Cobb. The complaint describes how Officer Pointer then arrived on scene: “Officer Pointer arrived from the side, grabbed Cobb’s bleeding arm, and immediately placed Cobb in a chokehold around the neck.” Simultaneously, “Officer Hollingsworth grabbed Cobb’s head and neck and pulled him forwards in the opposite direction.” Both officers then took Cobb to the ground.
Bradley recorded video of the encounter while another officer reportedly tried to block her from filming. The document states that during this altercation “Cobb was in distress, suffered a brief seizure, and repeatedly stated he could not breathe.” Emergency medical personnel transported Cobb to Greene Memorial Hospital for treatment.
The next day, after observing that Manns had not been arrested for either vandalism or assault despite their complaints at police headquarters about both Manns’ conduct and what they describe as excessive force used against Cobb, Bradley alleges further confrontation with law enforcement at their residence. Later that day Sergeant Moore accompanied Officer Hollingsworth when serving both plaintiffs with complaints for obstructing official business—a second-degree misdemeanor—filed in Xenia Municipal Court.
Both criminal cases were later dismissed by prosecutors after pretrial proceedings: “In Bradley’s criminal case, the prosecutor dismissed the case after a pretrial… In Cobb’s criminal case, the prosecutor dismissed the case after a pretrial upon Cobb’s payment of court costs.” While Bradley succeeded in having her record expunged following dismissal of charges against her, Cobb was unsuccessful in his own expungement petition.
The lawsuit asserts several causes of action under federal civil rights statutes (42 U.S.C. §§ 1983) including First Amendment retaliation for criticizing police response and recording it; Fourth Amendment violations due to alleged use of unreasonable force; malicious prosecution under Ohio law; as well as claims under specific Ohio statutes related to civil rights interference (R.C. 2921.45) and assault (R.C. 2903.13(A)).
Plaintiffs seek compensatory and punitive damages for economic and noneconomic injuries they claim resulted from these events: “Defendants tortious conduct proximately caused economic and noneconomic injuries to Cobb and Bradley.” They also request reimbursement for legal costs incurred during litigation along with reasonable attorney’s fees pursuant to Section 1988.
The complaint is signed by attorney Christopher J. Pagan of Repper-Pagan Law Ltd., representing both plaintiffs in this matter under Case No. 3:26-CV-00119.
Source: 326cv00119_Cobb_v_Hollingsworth_Complaint_Southern_District_Ohio.pdf
