Assistant Ohio AG punched on Cincinnati street by man seeking money, police say

A West Price Hill man is accused of punching an Ohio assistant attorney general after asking her for money, according to arrest documents and officials.

Jermaine Johnson, 50, is charged with misdemeanor assault after Cincinnati police say he punched Kathleen Fischer in the face July 1, according to court records.

Fischer was injured in the attack but was not hospitalized, arrest documents show.

Fischer is a senior assistant attorney general in the consumer protection section of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. She spent more than a decade as an assistant prosecuting attorney in the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office before taking on her new role in 2025.

Fischer is also the daughter of Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat Fischer, who hails from Fort Thomas.

Arrest documents list Fischer as the victim of the attack. An attorney general’s office spokesman and Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman also confirmed Fischer was the victim of the attack.

Fischer told police she was walking on Sycamore Street outside the prosecutor’s office around 4:30 p.m. when she ran into Johnson, arrest documents show. Johnson asked Fischer for money and as she continued to walk away, he punched her in the face, documents state.

A Cincinnati police officer then found Johnson two blocks away shortly after.

Johnson gave police a “conflicting statement” but told officers he may have accidentally hit her.

Johnson is also charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, court records show. Police say they found a glass pipe on Johnson while he was being arrested.

Johnson is expected to be arraigned in Hamilton County Municipal Court at 12:30 p.m., according to court records. He remains in custody at the Hamilton County Justice Center.

This report will be updated.

Enquirer reporter Matthew Cupelli contributed.