Ellen Glickman, a longtime Kent State University professor and then-director of the School of Health Sciences, was arrested on the Kent State campus on May 9, 2024, for disorderly conduct by intoxication after she called 911 herself asking for help getting into her building. She denied being drunk, said the symptoms officers saw were caused by stage 3a chronic kidney disease and exhaustion, and the charge was dismissed within two months. She lost the directorship but remains on the faculty, and the case drew national attention only in January 2026, when body camera footage of the arrest went viral on YouTube.
What Happened the Night of the Arrest
Glickman had attended Kent State’s Advanced Degrees Commencement earlier that evening to hood a doctoral student who had just defended her dissertation.1EllenGlickman.com. Letter to the Community She said she had one celebratory drink with the new graduate afterward, then walked to Nixson Hall, where her office was.
Around 10:30 p.m., locked out of the building and needing a restroom, she called 911. Kent State University Police Officers Alec Womack and Trevor White responded and reported an odor of alcohol, slurred speech, reduced motor skills, and glassy eyes.2The Kent Stater. Prosecutors Dismiss Charges After Kent State Police Arrest Director of School of Health Sciences When she refused to call for a ride, they arrested her for disorderly conduct by intoxication. Her wrists were too small for standard handcuffs, so officers used a RIPP Restraint strap. She fell during the arrest and injured her hands.3The Kent Stater. Former Kent State Director Faults Medical Issue for Campus Arrest, Not Intoxication She was still in her academic regalia.
Her Defense: A Medical Condition, Not Alcohol
Glickman firmly denied being intoxicated. In interviews and in an open letter posted on her personal website, she said she has stage 3a chronic kidney disease, and that combined with severe sleep deprivation it produced the physical signs officers read as drunkenness.3The Kent Stater. Former Kent State Director Faults Medical Issue for Campus Arrest, Not Intoxication She also cited chronic pain and dexterity problems from a fractured wrist and shoulder surgery, stress from her husband’s recent abdominal surgery and cancer diagnosis, and an irritable bowel flare that had her searching urgently for a restroom.1EllenGlickman.com. Letter to the Community
A central point in her account was that officers never gave her a field sobriety test or a blood alcohol test before charging her. Sergeant Tricia Knoles of the Kent State University Police Department said such tests are not required for a disorderly conduct by intoxication charge under Ohio law, and that officers instead rely on “verbal cues and physical cues that we are trained to observe.”3The Kent Stater. Former Kent State Director Faults Medical Issue for Campus Arrest, Not Intoxication
How the Case Ended in Court
The charge did not last long. On July 3, 2024, the Portage County Municipal Court dismissed the case on the prosecutor’s motion after Glickman completed 10 hours of community service and paid court costs.2The Kent Stater. Prosecutors Dismiss Charges After Kent State Police Arrest Director of School of Health Sciences
On November 21, 2025, Portage County Municipal Court Judge Melissa R. Roubic granted a motion to expunge all records related to the case. Her attorneys had pointed to more than 30 years of unblemished service at Kent State, and the judge found that her interest in expungement outweighed the government’s interest in keeping the records.4The Kent Stater. Video Resurfaces of Kent State Professor’s Arrest, Goes Viral
What It Cost Her at Kent State
The professional consequences outlasted the criminal case. Glickman was removed as director of the School of Health Sciences and moved to a faculty-only position effective September 13, 2024. Mark Lyberger was appointed acting director.3The Kent Stater. Former Kent State Director Faults Medical Issue for Campus Arrest, Not Intoxication Kent State declined to comment on personnel matters, and her university profile had been taken offline before the demotion was announced.2The Kent Stater. Prosecutors Dismiss Charges After Kent State Police Arrest Director of School of Health Sciences
As of 2026, she remains on the faculty as a professor in Health Sciences within the College of Public Health and Health Sciences, with her office still in Nixson Hall.5Kent State University. Ellen Glickman, PhD, FACSM
Why the Story Went Viral in 2026
The arrest resurfaced more than a year and a half later. On January 15, 2026, the YouTube channel Midwest Safety posted a 16-minute video titled “Entitled College Professor Calls 911 on Herself,” pairing the original body camera footage with commentary from retired Philadelphia police officer John Morris, who called the incident “entitlement with a resume.”4The Kent Stater. Video Resurfaces of Kent State Professor’s Arrest, Goes Viral The video also included previously unseen station footage of Glickman asking to speak with the two arresting officers.
Views passed one million by the next evening. A wave of new posts appeared on Glickman’s Rate My Professors page, most of them dated the same day the video went viral, according to the Kent Stater.4The Kent Stater. Video Resurfaces of Kent State Professor’s Arrest, Goes Viral Neither Glickman nor Kent State responded to requests for comment on the renewed attention.