Woman named Karen arrested for trespassing after refusing to wear mask in Northeast Ohio grocery store

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - A 55-year-old Parma Heights woman is facing several criminal charges after she refused to wear a mask inside a Northeast Ohio grocery store.

According to Brook Park police, Karen Turner was arrested on Jan. 18 at the Marc’s on Smith Road for refusing to leave after being asked by employees because she was in violation of the store’s mask policy.

Body camera video obtained by 19 News shows Turner refusing to leave or provide identification to Brook Park officers. She then continued to resist police as they escorted her to a cruiser.

Court records filed with the Berea Municipal Court show that Turner pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest, criminal trespassing, and failure to disclose information.

Turner was released on $5,000 bond and has another court appearance scheduled on Feb. 8.

Ironically, the woman’s first name is synonymous for a slang that became a popular meme during the coronavirus pandemic describing a person displaying privilege and who typically ignores face covering orders in public.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued a statewide mask order in July 2020 requiring all individuals to wear facial coverings at all times in public when social distancing is not possible.