Rebekah Huskey and Kent Johnson

Toledo, OH – Today, Rebekah Huskey, a former Port Clinton, Ohio firefighter and emergency medical technician (EMT), amended her federal civil-rights lawsuit against the City of Port Clinton and its former fire chief, Kent Johnson.

The suit, which focuses on Johnson’s alleged years of sexual harassment, assault, and mismanagement of the fire department, now adds additional claims, including civil liability for criminal acts claims for gross sexual imposition, theft, and voyeurism.

Those claims reflect the criminal charges Johnson currently faces after he was indicted by an Ottawa grand jury. In all, Johnson was charged with the following:

• Count 1: Unauthorized Use of Computer, Cable or Telecommunications Property, a fifth-degree felony in violation of Ohio Revised Code § 2913.04(B).
• Count 2: Voyeurism, a first-degree misdemeanor in violation of Ohio Revised Code §§ 2907.08(D) and 2907.08(E)(4).
• Count 3: Interfering with Civil Rights, a first-degree misdemeanor in violation of Ohio Revised Code §§ 2921.45(A) and 2921.45(B).
• Count 4: Menacing by Stalking, a first-degree misdemeanor in violation of Ohio Revised Code §§ 2903.211(A)(1) and 2903.211(B)(1).
• Count 5: Telecommunications harassment, a first-degree misdemeanor in violation of Ohio Revised Code § 2917.21(A)(2).
• Count 6: Theft in Office, a fourth-degree felony in violation of Ohio Revised Code §§ 2921.41(A)(1) and 2921.41(B).
• Count 7: Gross Sexual Imposition, a fourth-degree felony in violation of Ohio Revised Code § 2907.05(A)(1).
• Count 8: Gross Sexual Imposition, a fourth-degree felony in violation of Ohio Revised Code § 2907.05(A)(1).
• Count 9: Intimidation of an Attorney, Victim or Witness in a Criminal Case, a first-degree misdemeanor in violation of Ohio Revised Code §§ 2921.04(A) and 2921.04(D).
• Count 10: Theft, a first-degree misdemeanor in violation of Ohio Revised Code § 2913.02(A)(1)

Johnson's criminal case is set for trial on the Ottawa County Court of Common Pleas for May 5, 2025.

Huskey also amended her civil-rights complaint to include a claim for interference with her rights to leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Under the Act, eligible employees are entitled to a total of 12 workweeks of leave a year for serious health conditions that leave them unable to perform their job functions. Huskey alleges in the complaint that she applied for FMLA leave when she got surgery on her back to correct an injury she received while lifting a heavy patient during an EMS call. She says she gave her FMLA paperwork to Johnson, who ultimately never filed it. Instead, Johnson, who filled out firefighter’s and EMT’s timecards, used up all Huskey’s sick time. Then, in a show of mock graciousness, according to Huskey, he donated some of his sick time to Huskey.

This, the complaint says, was one of Johnson’s attempts to get her to engage in a quid pro quo for sex.

If Huskey would have received the leave to which she was entitled, Johnson could have never filled her position while she was recovering from major back surgery. And then, Johnson couldn’t have forced Huskey to be his personal secretary and spend time with him; she would have returned to the job she loved and always dreamed of—being a firefighter/EMT.

Finally, Huskey added claims for destruction of evidence against both Johnson and the City, as well as a claim for destruction of public records. The updated complaint alleges that Johnson, after the Ohio Bureau of Investigation found stolen intimate images of Huskey in his Google Drive, deleted the photos and their electronic metadata. Those metadata would have shown how often Johnson looked at the photos, whether he sent them to someone else, and whether he downloaded them to do with as he pleased.

Earlier, Huskey amended her complaint after she learned from BCI that Johnson had the explicit photos of her. Huskey alleged that Johnson, under the guise of fixing a work-related app, went through her phone, located the photos, and took pictures of them using his own phone for his prurient, fetishistic use. BCI located the photos in Johnson’s Google Drive and notified Huskey.

When confronted by law enforcement about this in 2024, the complaint alleges, Johnson first claimed he had been “investigating” Huskey. He later changed his story to claim he had obtained the photos from her fiancé’s phone.

Johnson deleted this information to purposely harm Huskey’s case against him, she alleges in her amended complaint.

Huskey also claims that the City under Johnsons reign as fire chief destroyed evidence and public records, including her FMLA leave paperwork and her continuing-education records, which were records the City was required to maintain under Ohio law.

Subodh Chandra, Huskey’s lead counsel, said, “The update complaint conforms to the pending criminal charges against Johnson, including a claim for civil liability for acts of gross sexual imposition. It’s a shame that the city has shown no interest in resolving this matter so she can move forward, despite its own outside investigator finding Johnson sexually harassed Ms. Huskey.”

“And we welcome contact from anyone who has information that would help Ms. Huskey in her quest for justice,” Chandra added.

Huskey is represented by civil-rights lawyers Subodh Chandra, Donald P. Screen, and Courtney Bow.

The case is captioned, Rebekah Huskey v. City of Port Clinton, et al., Case No. 3:23-cv-01910 and was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Western Division. The third amended and supplemental complaint, which provides more details, may be found here.

Chandra Law is experienced obtaining justice for victims of sex/gender discrimination including sexual harassment, employment discrimination, and employment retaliation. We also secure constitutional rights like those at issue here.

And the firm helped pioneer work in holding individuals and companies accountable for civil liability for criminal acts, securing the two leading Supreme Court of Ohio decisions favorable to crime victims on the topic.

If you think that your civil rights have been violated, you may contact us to discuss your options.

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