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Deaths inside Cuyahoga County Jail: How we reported the story
Despite promises of transparency and a pledge to reform the troubled jail, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne’s staff delayed releasing public records of two men whose deaths formed the foundation of a Marshall Project - Cleveland and WEWS News 5 investigation published this month.
In February 2024, a source told The Marshall Project - Cleveland about a man who had died inside the Cuyahoga County Jail and alleged that jail workers weren’t properly trained in emergency response. We soon learned of another man’s death by obtaining records from the state’s Office of Criminal Justice Services. It took nearly a year for us and our reporting partner Scott Noll at WEWS News 5 to publish our findings.
We began by requesting from the county a number of public records relating to the deaths of the two men, Glen Williams Jr. and Fred Maynard. We sought critical incident reports, jail rosters, healthcare policies and the jail’s standard operating procedures and staff rosters.
Other requests included video footage, internal email exchanges about the deaths, statements from staff about the incidents and the disciplinary files of the employees involved.
While Ohio’s public records law requires government agencies to release records within a reasonable time frame, Ronayne’s administration and the sheriff’s department took months to provide records. County officials took six months to release jail security footage of the two deaths.
We encountered numerous other delays to get the records. Some include:
- Meeting twice with Ronayne’s top administrators to negotiate the release of public documents.
- The county told the news outlets that security footage of Fred Maynard’s death was under review by county Prosecutor Michael O’Malley’s office, but a spokesperson contradicted the claim, saying it was not under review at that time.
- Ronayne’s administration provided records for a different Glen Williams. A reporter identified the error after noting inconsistencies in dates of birth and appearance.
Finally, neither Sheriff Harold Pretel nor Ronayne’s administration told county council members when state inspectors placed the jail on a corrective action plan. The inspectors report pointed out jail staff ignored Williams’ pleas for medical help for several days before he died after collapsing in the jail.
Earlier this month, Pretel, who was appointed by Ronayne, began a new four-year term. After his swearing-in ceremony, the sheriff was asked about the importance of transparency and community engagement.
“We have to let [the public] know so they're aware,” Pretel told us and News 5. “That's important to have those discussions with members of the public.”
Do you have information about someone who became ill or died following their incarceration at the Cuyahoga County Jail? Please email us.
– Mark Puente and Brittany Hailer
Celebrezze admits to misconduct allegations, faces new claim
Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze has admitted violating several rules of judicial conduct and now faces an additional misconduct claim from the Ohio Disciplinary Counsel, court records show.
The new charge also stems from Celebrezze’s longtime relationship with court-appointed receiver Mark Dottore. In her response to the new charge, Celebrezze acknowledged she violated three rules of judicial conduct.
The new charge accuses Celebrezze of violating numerous judicial codes of conduct for failing to recuse herself from a divorce case involving Dottore.
The charge alleges Celebrezze should have recused herself from the case after Supreme Court Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy previously removed her from another case involving Dottore.
For more details on our investigation into the relationship of Celebrezze and Dottore, read our story here.
– Mark Puente
Around the 216
- An investigation into potential misconduct by Cuyahoga County Public Defender’s Office staff has concluded with prosecutors declining to bring criminal charges. Fox 8 News
- A Ravenna woman who was arrested over allegations of failing to license her dog says a clerical error is to blame. WOIO 19 News
- The Warren woman who was charged by police with abuse of a corpse after suffering a miscarriage is suing the city and the hospital where she was treated. Ideastream Public Media
- Several dozen Ohio residents arrested for their roles in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot in 2021 are among the 1,500 people to likely have their cases overturned by President Donald Trump’s recent executive order. The Columbus Dispatch
