Luke Perez, the embattled Ohio State University professor who tackled a Columbus filmmaker earlier this year, resigned from his position.
An Ohio State spokesperson confirmed to The Dispatch that Perez resigned on Oct. 23 and is no longer employed by the university.
Perez, an assistant professor affiliated with Ohio State's Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture and Society, was placed on administrative leave in February after a video surfaced of Perez wrestling Michael Newman, a Columbus filmmaker and independent journalist, following his Profiles in American Leadership class. The course includes a series of guest lecturers, and E. Gordon Gee – the two-time former Ohio State president who is currently serving as a consultant for the Chase Center – was speaker
for that class session.
Newman and DJ Byrnes, a local political blogger who writes a newsletter called "The Rooster," waited after the class to ask Gee questions. After their interview, Newman, whom Byrnes noted in his newsletter does not work for him but was with him as "two independent creators working in concert," wanted to ask Gee a question.
That's when Perez stepped in front of Newman to block his path. Newman, with a phone in one hand and a video camera in the other, stepped back and did not touch Perez, according to video recorded of the incident. Without warning, Perez swatted at Newman's phone and tackled him to the ground.
In May, an Ohio State's Office of Human Resources, Employee and Labor Relations panel published the results of its investigation into allegations of workplace violence by Perez. The panel, which consisted of three professors and members of the University Sanctioning Committee, "found sufficient evidence that Dr. Perez’s actions constituted workplace violence," according to the report.
The panel dubbed Perez's actions as "the most egregious incident of workplace violence they had investigated," in its findings.
Perez was charged with one count of assault in Franklin County Municipal Court on Feb. 16 and pleaded no contest to an amended charge of disorderly conduct in July. Judge Jodi Thomas subsequently found him guilty of the reduced charge, court records show.
Perez was sentenced to a 30-day suspended jail term, meaning he's not required to serve it immediately, plus two years of probation and a $100 fine. Altogether, Perez owed $924 in court fees, which records indicate have been paid.
The court also issued a no-contact order against Perez tied to the university, though it was unclear from court records what conduct is prohibited and with whom.
According to university data, Perez's annual salary was $102,500.
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at shendrix@dispatch.com and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State professor resigns months after tackling filmmaker
