Officer Fired for Use of Spray in Dispute

The Dayton, Ohio, police chief fired a patrolman who arrested a fast-food restaurant worker, then doused her with pepper spray in a dispute over payment for his food. “There is no room for callousness, nonconformance to community and police standards, nor brutality in policing today,” Police Chief Ronald Lowe said. Michael McDonald, 33, had said he gave Brandy Martin, 17, a $20 bill to pay for his food Feb. 17 at a drive-through window. She said it was a $10 bill. McDonald confronted Martin, and the two argued. McDonald used the pepper spray on Martin when she refused to leave with him after he arrested her.