Biography
Steven Abbott was a Columbus Free Press writer jailed in 1972 on riot-related misdemeanor charges. In Abbott v. City of Columbus, the reviewing court found no justification for his $20,000 bail and reduced it to $3,000. The state's adverse character evidence consisted of an article attributed to him, while the original bail decision had treated his charges as a felony. The opinion establishes actual detention but not its length or the final criminal outcome.
