Ashland County Sheriff’s Office Detective Brandon Banks Sentenced to Probation for Assault

Joe Lyons • February 23, 2024

Ashland County Sheriff’s Office Detective Brandon Banks was sentenced to 90 days in jail, but the jail time was suspended, and he was given probation for one year. Along with probation. Detective Banks was ordered to pay a $250 fine and complete 40 hours of community service work. This sentence was handed down by the Ashland Municipal Court, before Magistrate Fred Oxley, following Detective Banks’ No Contest plea to assault charge.

During his sentencing hearing, Detective Banks stated, “This has been an absolute nightmare for the entire family. This situation has affected everyone in my family negatively and has added unnecessary stress to my family as well.”

Detective Banks accepted full responsibility for his actions, offering a heartfelt apology to his family. Sitting beside his attorney, Jim Mayer III, Detective Banks expressed deep remorse for his actions, stating, “I take full responsibility for my inexcusable behavior that put my family in this position.”

Banks admitted, “The word ‘sorry’ does not begin to describe how I feel toward my wife and my children for what I did and the position I put them in.” Detective Banks took proactive steps to address his issues by enrolling himself in therapy. He emphasized, “I have been attending and successfully completing every therapy session that I have been to. Therapy taught me how to cope with my depression, anger, and substance abuse.”

Banks acknowledged the detrimental effects of substance abuse and expressed his commitment to maintaining sobriety. He highlighted the importance of therapy in his recovery process and stated his intention to continue therapy in the future. Banks affirmed, “I plan on continuing therapy into the future, and if given an opportunity with probation, I will most certainly comply with probation without any issues.”

In response to Detective Banks’ statements, Magistrate Fred Oxley acknowledged Detective Banks’ acceptance of responsibility and his immediate steps to address his issues. He also took into consideration the wishes of Mrs. Banks, who expressed her desire for the marriage to continue. The court agreed that the incident involving Brandon Banks was a minor one. While the court did not downplay the seriousness of the offense, they recognized that many similar situations could escalate into more severe issues.

Magistrate Oxley emphasized the importance of continuing therapy as part of Detective Banks probation.

Magistrate Oxley stated, “You are not getting any special treatment. This is a fair sentence based on the nature of the incident, your commitment to counseling, and the absence of prior offenses. We see many cases escalate from minor incidents to significant ones, but we believe this sentence is appropriate given the circumstances.”

Magistrate Fred Oxley sentenced Detective Brandon Banks to 90 days in jail. However, recognizing Detective Banks’ remorse and acceptance of responsibility, the court decided to suspend the jail time giving probation for one year. Along with probation, Detective Banks was ordered to pay a $250 fine and complete 40 hours of community service work by July 1.