An Athens woman convicted of assaulting a police officer avoids jail time

By: Thomas Billington
Posted on: Wednesday, June 17, 2026

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) —  An Athens woman convicted of assaulting a police officer will not be sent to jail but will instead enter a treatment program.

Jennifer Sweat was convicted in late May for a July 2025 drunken encounter. A jury found her guilty of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, obstructing official business, intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness in a criminal case, and assault on a peace officer. The first three are misdemeanors and the last two are felonies. 

Sweat was charged after officers found her topless and lying on top of a man in front of Cycle Path on West Union Street. 

When Athens police officer Andrew Foster confronted Sweat, she smacked his butt. Sweat then attempted to kick Foster and threatened him when he moved to arrest her. Foster was not injured during the arrest. 

Sweat was heavily intoxicated during the incident. At her sentencing, Judge George McCarthy said her blood alcohol level was 0.28, more than three times the legal limit. 

The charges against Sweat in her indictment included public indecency, which was later dropped. In May, the intimidation charge was added to the original indictment.

Assistant Public Defender Donald Gallick, who represented Sweat, filed a motion to remove the additional charges. He argued they were added because of Sweat denying a plea deal. 

The disagreement over the adding of charges eventually ended in Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn testifying before the jury during the trial. 

Gallick argued the additional charges were vindictive, but Blackburn argued it was common practice to file additional charges if a case seems unlikely to resolve through a plea deal and will instead go to trial. 

The judge allowed the additional charges to stay and let the jury decide. 

Sweat was convicted after a two-day trial and faced at least two years in jail. But with this being Sweat’s first major run-in with the law, and her acknowledged issues with alcohol, McCarthy said it was fitting to send her to an in-patient rehab facility. 

This decision came after Sweat had another drunken run-in with the police on June 12. Sweat told the judge at her sentencing this was the first time she had consumed alcohol since her arrest last. The June incident did not result in an arrest, as Athens police turned Sweat over to her mother. 

The June incident caused the prosecutor to object to the findings of the pre-sentencing investigation or PSI, a move McCarthy said he had never seen before. A PSI provides the court with a comprehensive view of the defendant’s background, personal circumstances and criminal history to guide sentencing decisions. 

The objection stemmed from Sweat’s claim that her alcohol consumption and addiction to alcohol was under control. But the prosecution claimed the June incident showed this was not the case. Sweat agreed, saying she thought she was on the right track and had her addiction under control. 

“I fell off the wagon,” she said. “I had another bad day, and I feel like maybe before I was treading water and thought I was swimming on, like, I totally agree. I would like more help.”