Cincinnati police admit error in issuing Mixon’s arrest warrant

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CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Thursday’s arrest warrant against Joe Mixon was issued prematurely and resulted from a procedural misstep, according to a Cincinnati Police Department statement.

The charge was dismissed Friday afternoon, though it could be refiled.

Police began investigating the allegation and gathering evidence after receiving information to support a criminal charge.

Because the case involved “a high-profile individual,” CPD supervisors ordered the case investigator to submit the case for “cursory review” before any possible charge was filed. The supervisors’ rationale was “to ensure completeness of the investigation,” the department statement reads.

But on Thursday, without that review having happened, the warrant for Mixon’s arrest was filed with the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts. A criminal complaint against Mixon and a police affidavit detailing the allegations were also filed.

CPD is continuing the investigation, but the case has been reassigned.

“The evidence will guide CPD’s investigation and actions, and newly obtained evidence has since been recovered,” the department statement reads. “Once all evidence is fully examined, criminal charges can be refiled at a later date.”

Mixon was accused of pointing a gun at a victim in Downtown Cincinnati, the criminal complaint filed Thursday said. “You should be popped in the face. I should shoot you; the police can’t get me,” the document said.

The incident happened around 12 p.m. in the 300 block of Walnut Street on Jan. 21, according to the complaint. The Bengals left for Buffalo around 2 p.m. that day.

The victim told officers the threat was a result of “road rage,” the incident report reads.

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