Brian Ormes (Mug shot from the Kenton County Jail; Walmart screenshot from WCPO/YouTube)
A Republican candidate for a Kentucky state representative seat has been arrested after he was allegedly caught on a Walmart surveillance camera putting his hands on the neck of a 17-year-old boy who nearly hit his son with a ball in a store aisle.
Brian Ormes, 53, faces charges of first-degree strangulation, menacing and assault in the fourth degree, online jail records show.
The Monday night incident allegedly started after the teen played with a ball in a store aisle that nearly hit Ormes’ son. Surveillance footage allegedly caught Ormes following the teen, getting in his face, chest to chest, before pushing him against a shelf and placing his hands on his neck, reported the Lexington Herald-Leader, citing a police report.
The paper said police wrote the teen had “clear and visible red marks and a scratch on the back of his neck.”
Ormes allegedly admitted to putting hands on the teen, saying he was upset about the ball almost hitting his son, Cincinnati ABC affiliate WCPO reported.
Ormes was booked into the Kenton County Detention Center and released on $2,500 bond, records show. He was ordered not to contact the alleged victim and stay out of all Walmarts, the Herald-Leader reported.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Ormes had not responded to a phone call or Facebook message request for comment.
Ormes is running for an open seat in Kentucky District 67 in Campbell County in northern Kentucky.
His challenger, fellow Republican Terry Hatton, said he should drop out of the race.
“First off, my heart, thoughts, and prayers go out to the victim and their family,” he posted on Facebook. “I stand by my statement, Brian Ormes NEEDS to drop out of this race, as house district 67 deserves someone who will not put the youths safety at risk in our community. After his actions last night, it is obvious that he has some personal issues that MUST be addressed, before he is able to serve the public.”
Campbell County Republican chairman Dave Slater said in a statement to WCPO that the party firmly supports Ormes’ and “every American citizen’s Constitutional right to due process and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law.”
WCPO reported Campbell County Democratic Party Chair Melissa Whalen called the incident “sad.”
“I don’t know how we devolved to this point,” she said. “Obviously, none of us are perfect, but there’s a bottom line you should be able to cross.”
Ormes is an electrician by trade, according to his Facebook page. His former company, Boss Construction, was dissolved for damaging a retaining wall gas pipeline in 2020, according to the Kentucky Public Service Commission.
Ormes is set to appear in court on April 16, online court records show.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
