A Kent State University professor was arrested after calling 911 to tell police she was locked out of a building and had to use the bathroom, and later argued with officers over whether she was intoxicated, body camera video shows.
During an initial 911 call, Dr. Ellen Glickman, director of the School of Health Sciences, uses an expletive to tell the dispatcher she needs to get into her building, later telling another dispatcher she has to use the bathroom.
“Can you do it immediately,” she said during the call, referring to how fast officers could arrive.
Audio from body camera video reveals that the responding Kent State University Police Officer suspected Glickman was intoxicated because of the alcohol smell, and that she lacked motor functions.
The incident occurred on May 9, and in the footage, Glickman admits to having a drink in a university building with a colleague following KSU's commencement ceremony.
“I had a drink,” she said, adding that, “you can smell a little alcohol on me, that’s fine.”
The officer allowed Glickman into the building to use the restroom, asking her to call for a ride.
Glickman denied being intoxicated and insisted she could drive her Tesla home multiple times, before threatening to call the officer’s captain.
“I think I’m OK, I have a Tesla,” Glickman said. “Just because you have a Tesla doesn’t mean it’s going to drive itself,” the officer said.
Officers told Glickman at least six times they didn’t want her to drive and asked her to call for a ride at least eight times before they arrested her for disorderly conduct by intoxication, according to audio in the body camera video.
“I’d rather her not get an OVI,” one of the officers can be heard saying in the video, prior to Glickman being given multiple other warnings.
Glickman's attorneys told 3News the body camera video "does not capture the entire event and therefore invites opinion without full context."
Glickman was eventually taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct by intoxicated, which was later dismissed, after court documents show she paid court costs and completed community service.
A Kent State University spokesperson said, “We are aware of the incident,” and, “We do not comment on personnel matters.”
Glickman’s photo was removed from the Kent State University website.
Attorneys representing Glickman provided the following statement:
“Dr. Glickman has been an invaluable member of the Kent State University community for almost thirty years. The video in question does not capture the entire event and therefore invites opinion without full context. Information not apparent in the video was presented at the municipal Court which resulted in a timely dismissal of the entire charge. She now looks forward to continuing to provide her students with the high-quality education that her school and Kent State University have always been known for.”