The aggressive mystery couple from the Erica Crawley crash out, revealed

Columbus City Councilman Nick Bankston arrived on the crash scene before first responders. He later told cops that he and his wife just happened to be passing by.

Left to right: Columbus City Councilman Nick Bankston and Franklin County Commissioner Erica Crawley

The Rooster broke the story last month about Franklin County Commissioner Erica Crawley blowing through a red light and hospitalizing an older woman.

Three independent witnesses affirmed the victim’s narrative of events, with one witness speaking to The Rooster on a condition of anonymity to talk frankly about an embarrassing incident involving one of Central Ohio’s most powerful politicians.

“It was weird,” the witness said.

“I felt a weird vibe as soon as [Commissioner Crawley] got out of the car and started talking to me. She told me to ‘Get out of [here].’ I was like, ‘What? No. No. I’m a good human. I’m not doing that.”

While the witness went to check on the woman whom Crawley t-boned, a mysterious couple appeared on the scene almost instantaneously—well before first responders.

“This car rips up from High Street, going the wrong way down Spring Street. And this couple … dressed in fine dining wear… gets out aggressively.”

The identity of the aggressive couple was perhaps the biggest unanswered mystery about the crash, until yesterday, when The Rooster obtained body camera footage that showed it was none other than Columbus City Councilman Nick Bankston and his wife, @FutureFLOTUS.

Bankston’s alleged aggressive tactics had apparently subsided by the time officers from the Columbus Division of Police arrived on the scene at the intersection of Third Street and Spring Street.

Bankston is the first person the officer spoke to, and he made sure to mention that he’s on City Council and a “good friend” of Crawley’s.

Oddly, Bankston painted him and his wife as coincidental passersby, which stands in stark contrast to what the witness told The Rooster about their immediate and aggressive arrival on the scene.

Crawley, meanwhile, is the only person on the scene who didn’t believe she was at fault. She bafflingly tries to mention that “other people were here, but left” before the officer politely shuts down the line of reasoning as not his problem.

If Crawley is illegally intoxicated, it’s not evident in the tape.

However, there is a curious moment when the officer asks Crawley for her insurance policy number. Crawley proceeded to dick around on her phone for an excruciating two minutes before turning back to the officer and asking what he needed:

The witness who spoke to The Rooster believed that officers should have at least administered a field sobriety test to Crawley.

“I think it’s crazy that they didn’t give her a field sobriety [test],” the witness said. “Anybody else would have gotten it.”

In fairness to Crawley, it’s not evident in the 26 minutes of footage that officers are aware she is one of three County Commissioners.

But it’s not as if City Council members make a habit of hanging around crash scenes involving everyday citizens. That a City Council member vouched for Crawley as a “good friend” might have been enough to assuage any scrutiny about her sobriety.

None of this will send anyone involved to The Hague. But it’s another example of city politicians looking out for one another in ways that don’t extend to residents outside their spheres of power.

Despite three independent witnesses affirming that Crawley “blew through” a red light and t-boned an older woman, she tried to shirk that responsibility at the scene by claiming she wasn’t at fault.

According to the witness, Crawley’s insurance company also tried similar tactics, claiming that unnamed parties were with Crawley at the time of the crash.

Five days after The Rooster broke the story, Crawley posted to TikTok that she was “taking a walk for her mental health” with the attached video being her wheeling a suitcase through an undisclosed airport.

Crawley did not attend the ensuing Commissioners meeting on July 28.

Perhaps coincidentally, Crawley’s insurance company has since changed its tune about its client’s role in the crash and offered a cash settlement to the owner of the damaged red Lexus.

The extended cut

You can view the extended cut of the body camera footage above. I have edited the parts where the officer speaks to the victim, witnesses and other officers.

And now a word from our friends

If you are looking for something to do this weekend, consider heading to High Street on Saturday to raise awareness about America’s current political crisis.

From Hands Along High Street:

Several thousand Ohioans are expected to gather along High Street on Saturday, August 9, to create an eight-mile human chain protesting the policies and actions of the Trump administration.

Starting in Worthington by State Route 161 and continuing south to Buttles Avenue, the Hands Along High Street protest is intended to send a clear message that the people of central Ohio stand united for democracy and justice, and against the autocracy and disastrous policies of the Trump administration.

The protest, being organized by Indivisible Central Ohio and the Westerville Progressive Alliance, will take place from 2 pm to 3:30 pm. People interested in participating are welcome to join.

More information and registration are available at this link.

Cincy media is doing a disservice to area residents

As I advance in my media career, I’ve come to realize that my primary beef lies with the editorial and ownership class of legacy media outlets.