Cleveland, OH
East Cleveland mayor and former councilman blame politics for indictments
CLEVELAND, OH — Attorneys for East Cleveland’s mayor and a former city councilman each blamed political opponents for the criminal indictments against the two men Friday.
“It’s disappointing to see that the prosecutor of the county is now involved with the political fight with people within East Cleveland,” said defense attorney Charles Tyler who represents East Cleveland Mayor Brandon King.
“It’s a very sad day that the criminal justice system would be used in this manner,” said East Cleveland Law Director Willa Hemmons, who appeared with former councilman Ernest Smith during Smith’s arraignment. “Nobody wants to see the criminal justice system weaponized against a political adversary.”
But the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor said the cases against the pair followed investigations by the Ohio Ethics Commission and the Ohio Auditor of State.
“These charges came about as a direct result of those investigations,” said Prosecutor Michael O’Malley in a statement. “The people who continue to suffer from these actions are the residents of East Cleveland.”
Mayor Brandon King pleaded not guilty to two counts of theft in office, four counts of having an unlawful interest in a public contract, four counts of representation by public official or employee, one count of filing a false disclosure statement and one count of soliciting improper compensation.
King is accused of authorizing and paying more than $76,000 in public contracts between the City of East Cleveland and businesses owned by the mayor and his family.
But Hemmons said Friday those contracts pre-dated King’s time in city government and said King gave up any financial stake in the companies following guidance from the state’s ethics commission.
“If we’re going to preclude every legitimate citizen, every businessman from ever entering politics, we’re going to lose a lot of good people,” Hemmons said.
The mayor is also accused of improperly providing Smith with a city vehicle and gas cards to purchase fuel.
Investigators said Smith bought $6,791 worth of gas at the expense of the city.
Smith insisted the car was only used in connection with his job but said Friday that included instances where he took his kids to school.
“My son and my daughter are residents of East Cleveland,” said Smith. “I live in East Cleveland. They went to East Cleveland schools. It’s dangerous outside. You can’t even walk to school without the prostitutes and drug dealers messing with everyone.”
Smith also pointed to a 2017 document from the then-clerk of council, which noted Smith received keys to the 2003 Ford for use “for city business” as proof that everything was above board.
“I didn’t go the mayor to get the car,” said Smith. “I don’t work for the mayor. [The] council doesn’t work for the mayor. I got the word that there was a city council car around there somewhere and my clerk found it for me.”
Smith, who was recalled by voters in 2022 and lost his seat on the council, said he’s “very confident” he will be vindicated and said he plans to run for city council again in 2025.
He told a judge Friday that he did not have money for an attorney and was appointed counsel.
Tyler said the mayor has no plans to step down even as a three-judge panel weighs whether King should be suspended until his criminal case is resolved.
Tyler said King, not the city, is paying for the mayor’s legal defense.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — OHSAA girls basketball scores from Saturday in Ohio, as provided by The Associated Press.
Akr. Coventry 67, Streetsboro 22
Akr. Ellet 43, Can. South 34
Akr. Hoban 72, Gates Mills Gilmour 36
Apple Creek Waynedale 43, Ashland 42
Arcadia 54, Dola Hardin Northern 47
Ashtabula Edgewood 45, Geneva 40
Attica Seneca E. 43, Sycamore Mohawk 27
Aurora 63, Medina Highland 57
Avon 54, Amherst Steele 33
Avon Lake 73, N. Ridgeville 43
Bedford, Mich. 47, Tol. Rogers 33
Bellbrook 59, Monroe 26
Beloit W. Branch 54, Minerva 8
Berlin Center Western Reserve 70, Girard 53
Berlin Hiland 59, Gnadenhutten Indian Valley 17
Botkins 47, Elida 40
Bowerston Conotton Valley 42, Rittman 32
Bowling Green Christian Academy 33, Put-in-Bay 11
Carey 52, Bucyrus 14
Casstown Miami E. 63, Day. Northridge 41
Castalia Margaretta 57, Port Clinton 21
Centerburg 54, Danville 37
Chardon 48, Eastlake North 38
Chesapeake 56, Greenup Co., Ky. 18
Chesterland W. Geauga 40, Gates Mills Hawken 28
Cin. McNicholas 56, Cin. Anderson 44
Cin. Oak Hills 44, Liberty Twp. Lakota E. 40
Cin. Princeton 65, Hamilton 22
Cin. Summit 63, St Bernard-Elmwood Place 13
Cin. Sycamore 74, Middletown 11
Cols. Linden-McKinley 42, Day. Dunbar 24
Columbia Station Columbia 47, Wellington 20
Coshocton 51, Bridgeport 36
Creston Norwayne 42, New London 31
Crooksville 50, Byesville Meadowbrook 35
Cuyahoga Falls 49, Barberton 8
Cuyahoga Falls CVCA 43, Cle. Hts. Beaumont 34
Dalton 62, Dover 39
Dawson-Bryant 51, S. Webster 49
Day. Oakwood 61, Eaton 22
Day. Stivers 56, Cin. Taft 34
Delta 55, Bloomdale Elmwood 39
E. Can. 43, Hartville Lake Center Christian 42
E. Palestine 37, Campbell Memorial 24
Edon 46, Defiance Tinora 43
Elyria Open Door 52, Tol. Waite 24
Fairview 70, Beachwood 34
Findlay Liberty-Benton 43, Kalida 30
Galloway Westland 35, Day. Belmont 30
Garfield Hts. Trinity 59, Independence 19
Garrettsville Garfield 38, Middlefield Cardinal 35
Genoa Christian 44, Liberty Christian Academy 17
Gibsonburg 62, Sandusky St. Mary 19
Gorham Fayette 41, Antwerp 30
Hamilton Ross 43, Trenton Edgewood 38
Hillsboro 46, Washington C.H. Miami Trace 45
Huber Hts. Wayne 72, Clayton Northmont 22
Hudson 78, Solon 59
Jefferson Area 46, Ashtabula Lakeside 10
Kansas Lakota 51, New Riegel 29
Kent Roosevelt 46, Richfield Revere 44
Kenton 82, Lima Perry 14
Kettering Alter 49, Day. Carroll 42
Kingsway Christian 32, Senedot Stripes 18
Kingsway Christian 60, Coshocton Christian 23
Kirtland 52, Wickliffe 17
LaGrange Keystone 72, Sullivan Black River 15
Lakewood 51, Bay (OH) 40
Legacy Christian 56, Cedarville 49
Lima Shawnee 60, Lima Cent. Cath. 25
Lockland 53, Cin. Shroder 49
London 67, Plain City Jonathan Alder 12
London Madison-Plains 51, Milford Center Fairbanks 30
Loudonville 48, Cardington-Lincoln 36
Lucasville Valley 50, South Point 16
Macedonia Nordonia 47, Brecksville-Broadview Hts. 45
Madison 70, Conneaut 41
Mansfield Madison 39, Millersburg W. Holmes 33
Maria Stein Marion Local 44, Anna 20
Marion Harding High School 53, Caledonia River Valley 32
Martins Ferry 77, Weir, W.Va. 19
Mason 54, Cin. Colerain 32
Massillon Jackson 50, Can. McKinley 44
Massillon Perry 48, N. Can. Hoover 42
Mayfield 64, Willoughby S. 51
McConnelsville Morgan 46, New Concord John Glenn 22
Mentor 69, Brunswick 41
Miller City 56, Arlington 22
Milton-Union 61, Sidney Lehman 20
N. Robinson Col. Crawford 57, Bucyrus Wynford 33
New Paris National Trail 52, Hamilton New Miami 19
New Philadelphia 52, Linsly, W.Va. 34
Newcomerstown 51, Malvern 34
Newton Local 54, Franklin Middletown Christian 42
Norton 68, Ravenna 19
Ohio Deaf 48, Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, Va. 19
Old Fort 43, Bascom Hopewell-Loudon 30
Ontario 65, Galion 43
Orange 31, Painesville Harvey 27
Ottawa-Glandorf 71, Ft. Loramie 45
Oxford Talawanda 52, Franklin 32
Painesville Riverside 42, Chagrin Falls Kenston 41
Pandora-Gilboa 51, Ft. Jennings 27
Parma Hts. Holy Name 52, Chardon NDCL 49
Parma Padua 49, Elyria Cath. 32
Pataskala Licking Hts. 40, Pataskala Watkins Memorial 28
Paulding 64, Bluffton 42
Philo 56, Warsaw River View 24
Piqua 51, Xenia 18
Powell Olentangy Liberty 37, Cols. Bishop Watterson 28
Proctorville Fairland 50, Cabell Midland, W.Va. 26
Proctorville Fairland 82, Vincent Warren 39
Rocky River 65, Parma Normandy 51
Rootstown 40, Mantua Crestwood 21
STVM 59, Youngs. Ursuline 33
Salem 47, Alliance 18
Shadyside 47, New Matamoras Frontier 42
Shaker Hts. Laurel 60, Doylestown Chippewa 39
Sheffield Brookside 47, Lorain Clearview 28
Shelby 65, Sparta Highland 40
St. Henry (OH) 49, Spencerville 31
Steubenville Cath. Cent. 68, Zanesville Rosecrans 32
Strongsville 67, Shaker Hts. 39
Sunbury Big Walnut 59, Lewis Center Olentangy 56
Sylvania Southview 46, Lima 44
Tallmadge 38, Copley 34
Thornville Sheridan 33, Dresden Tri-Valley 30
Tipp City Bethel 62, DeGraff Riverside 31
Tipp City Tippecanoe 62, Greenville 31
Tol. Christian 66, W. Unity Hilltop 40
Twinsburg 55, Stow-Munroe Falls 23
Uhrichsville Claymont 51, Sugarcreek Garaway 40
Upper Sandusky 28, New Washington Buckeye Cent. 23
Urbana 69, New Carlisle Tecumseh 25
Vermilion 50, Milan Edison 45
Versailles 55, Jackson Center 16
W. Jefferson 45, Spring. Cath. Cent. 26
Wadsworth 45, N. Royalton 33
Warren Howland 56, Cortland Lakeview 50
Waverly 57, Gallipolis Gallia 51
Waynesville 50, Brookville 30
Westerville N. 51, Columbus South 40
Westlake 63, N. Olmsted 34
Westtown, Pa. 85, Western Reserve Academy 44
Worthington Kilbourne 58, Thomas Worthington 31
Zanesville W. Muskingum 61, Zanesville Maysville 28
Zoarville Tuscarawas Valley 53, W. Lafayette Ridgewood 20
Cleveland, OH
Protests against ICE planned across Ohio, US after shootings in Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon – The Land
Protests against immigration enforcement are planned for cities and towns across the country on Saturday after one federal officer fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis and another shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon.
The demonstrations come as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security pushes forward in the Twin Cities with what it calls its biggest-ever immigration enforcement operation. President Donald Trump’s administration has said both shootings were acts of self-defense against drivers who “weaponized” their vehicles to attack officers.
Indivisible, a social movement organization that formed to resist the Trump administration, said hundreds of protests were scheduled in Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Florida and other states. Many were dubbed “ICE Out for Good” using the acronym for the agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Indivisible and its local chapters organized protests in all 50 states last year.
Protests are planned for Saturday in Solon and Lyndhurst, according to the Indivisble website. Additional protests are scheduled for Akron, Medina and Alliance. Protests have already been held in Cleveland. Details on the upcoming protests are available on the Indivisble website.
In Minneapolis, a coalition of migrant rights groups called for a demonstration at Powderhorn Park, a large green space about half a mile from where 37-year-old Renee Good was shot in a residential neighborhood on Wednesday. They said the rally and march would celebrate Good’s life and call for an “end to deadly terror on our streets.”
Cleveland City Council President Blaine A. Griffin issued a statement condemning the shooting of Good.
“Donald Trump’s decision to arm thousands of unvetted, minimally trained recruits and unleash them on our cities made this kind of violence inevitable. The thuggery ICE regularly displays has no place in America. Anyone with a conscience should be outraged. Only those without a conscience would immediately—and dishonestly—blame the victim as the Trump administration has,” Griffin said in a message he emailed to media.
Protests held in the neighborhood so far have been peaceful, in contrast to the violence that hit Minneapolis in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in 2020. Near the airport, some confrontations erupted on Thursday and Friday between smaller groups of protesters and agents guarding the federal building used as a base for the Twin Cities crackdown.
The Trump administration has been surging thousands of federal officers to Minnesota under a sweeping new crackdown tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. More than 2,000 officers were taking part.
Some officers moved in after abruptly pulling out of Louisiana, where they were part of another operation that started last month and was expected to last until February.
The Land contributed to this article.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — OHSAA boys basketball scores from Friday in Ohio, as provided by The Associated Press.
Akr. Firestone 76, Akr. North 44
Alliance 72, Minerva 51
Alliance Marlington 61, Salem 45
Arcadia 70, Bloomdale Elmwood 48
Arlington 60, Mt. Blanchard Riverdale 25
Ashland 77, Millersburg W. Holmes 62
Ashland Crestview 60, Collins Western Reserve 53
Avon 76, Amherst Steele 65
Beaver Eastern 48, Latham Western 35
Beaver Local 63, Cadiz Harrison Cent. 58
Bellville Clear Fork 45, Galion 36
Berea-Midpark 79, Olmsted Falls 75
Bloomingdale, W.Va. 48, Belpre Christian 32
Brecksville-Broadview Hts. 63, Macedonia Nordonia 51
Bridgeport 75, Steubenville Cath. Cent. 39
Brookville 55, Eaton 38
Brunswick 77, Mentor 56
Caledonia River Valley 63, Ontario 57
Cambridge 46, Belmont Union Local 43
Can. Glenoak 64, Green 63
Canal Fulton Northwest 52, Can. South 38
Canfield 48, Fitch 44
Canfield S. Range 58, Struthers 43
Carey 59, New Washington Buckeye Cent. 25
Castalia Margaretta 67, Willard 55
Centerville 56, Springboro 43
Chillicothe Zane Trace 59, Williamsport Westfall 45
Cin. Aiken 97, Cin. Taft 71
Cin. McNicholas 74, Day. Carroll 37
Cin. Moeller 56, Cin. La Salle 55
Cin. Princeton 49, Hamilton 45
Cin. Sycamore 53, Middletown 48, OT
Cin. Turpin 57, Cin. Anderson 45
Cle. E. Tech 98, Bard Cleveland 65
Cle. Rhodes 71, Cle. Lincoln W. 21
Cols. Africentric 49, Cols. Eastmoor 35
Cols. Bishop Watterson 53, Cols. DeSales 44
Cols. Centennial 78, Columbus International 50
Cols. Mifflin 74, East 62
Cols. Upper Arlington 57, Dublin Coffman 49, OT
Cols. Walnut Ridge 95, Cols. Marion-Franklin 29
Convoy Crestview 45, Bluffton 42
Coshocton 85, Crooksville 53
Crestline 67, Mansfield St. Peter’s 63
Creston Norwayne 73, Rittman 27
Cuyahoga Falls 67, Barberton 57
Day. Christian 46, Carlisle 40
Day. Northridge 86, Milton-Union 26
Defiance 40, St Marys 35
Delphos St John’s 76, New Knoxville 56
Doylestown Chippewa 65, West Salem Northwestern 42
Dresden Tri-Valley 46, McConnelsville Morgan 42
E. Palestine 75, Salineville Southern 40
Fairport Harbor Harding 96, Warren Lordstown 22
Fairview 83, Beachwood 24
Fayetteville-Perry 63, Peebles 60
Findlay Liberty-Benton 52, Ada 21
Frankfort Adena 61, Chillicothe Huntington 49
Fredericktown 62, Centerburg 9
Gibsonburg 67, Elmore Woodmore 36
Glouster Trimble 65, Stewart Federal Hocking 60
Hamilton Ross 57, Bellbrook 52
Hartville Lake Center Christian 49, Louisville Aquinas 35
Haviland Wayne Trace 50, Defiance Ayersville 47
Holland Springfield 76, Fremont Ross 59
Huber Hts. Wayne 49, Clayton Northmont 40
Hunting Valley University 74, Gates Mills Gilmour 64
Huron 53, Vermilion 50
Ironton St. Joseph 64, Portsmouth Clay 39
Jackson 56, Hillsboro 39
Jackson Center 50, Anna 36
Jefferson Area 61, Ashtabula Edgewood 57
Jeromesville Hillsdale 60, Dalton 46
Kalida 39, Ft. Jennings 35
Kidron Cent. Christian 68, Lucas 26
Lakeside Danbury 74, Fremont St. Joseph 57
Lancaster Fairfield Union 55, Baltimore Liberty Union 47
Lewis Center Olentangy Orange 66, Hilliard Bradley 47
Lewistown Indian Lake 59, Bellefontaine Benjamin Logan 45
Liberty Twp. Lakota E. 40, Cin. Oak Hills 34
Lima Cent. Cath. 63, Columbus Grove 56
Lima Shawnee 73, Lima Bath 60
Lorain Clearview 46, Oberlin Firelands 45
Lucasville Valley 67, Waverly 55
Mansfield 62, Dover 55
Mansfield Temple Christian 37, Christian Community School 31
Maria Stein Marion Local 59, Rockford Parkway 34
Marion Pleasant 44, Sparta Highland 39
Martins Ferry 82, Bellaire 50
Mason 65, Cin. Colerain 42
Massillon Tuslaw 69, Navarre Fairless 46
Massillon Washington 77, Can. Cent. Cath. 59
McGuffey Upper Scioto Valley 53, Waynesfield-Goshen 45
Medina Buckeye 53, Parma Hts. Valley Forge 33
Medina Highland 59, Aurora 52
Milford Center Fairbanks 67, N. Lewisburg Triad 34
Monroe 61, Franklin 33
Monroeville 77, Ashland Mapleton 30
Morgan 74, Cle. Max Hayes 21
Morral Ridgedale 72, Mt. Victory Ridgemont 49
Mt Gilead 69, Cardington-Lincoln 13
N. Baltimore 62, Marion Elgin 40
N. Can. Hoover 63, Massillon Perry 37
N. Robinson Col. Crawford 67, Attica Seneca E. 34
N. Royalton 72, Wadsworth 44
New Albany 58, Pickerington North 48
New Bremen 52, Ft. Recovery 38
New Concord John Glenn 70, Philo 46
New Franklin Manchester 85, Wooster Triway 57
New London 56, Greenwich S. Cent. 52
New Philadelphia 52, Lexington 37
Newark 70, Ashville Teays Valley 26
Newton Local 58, Ansonia 39
Ohio Deaf 60, Ky. School for the Deaf, Ky. 29
Old Fort 50, Kansas Lakota 27
Oregon Clay 63, Napoleon 29
Orwell Grand Valley 71, Southington Chalker 44
Ottoville 59, Delphos Jefferson 47
Painesville Harvey 66, Perry 55
Paulding 71, Antwerp 49
Plymouth 63, Norwalk St Paul 52
Poland Seminary 64, Niles McKinley 54
Port Clinton 60, Milan Edison 42
Portsmouth Notre Dame 45, Franklin Furnace Green 44
Powell Olentangy Liberty 69, Hilliard Davidson 48
Racine Southern 70, Reedsville Eastern 63
Rootstown 67, Wickliffe 53
S. Webster 41, Portsmouth W. 36
Sandusky St. Mary 48, Northwood 28
Sheffield Brookside 59, LaGrange Keystone 56
Shekinah Christian 63, Northside Christian 23
Shelby 54, Marion Harding High School 45
Sherwood Fairview 58, Hicksville 21
Sidney Lehman 55, Troy Christian 54, OT
Smithville 90, Apple Creek Waynedale 68
St Clairsville 68, Barnesville 38
St. Xavier (OH) 54, Cin. Elder 30
Steubenville 74, Gnadenhutten Indian Valley 63
Stow-Munroe Falls 49, Twinsburg 42
Sugarcreek Garaway 44, Newcomerstown 42
Sullivan Black River 60, Columbia Station Columbia 46
Sycamore Mohawk 59, Bucyrus Wynford 58
Tiffin Calvert 61, New Riegel 50
Tipp City Tippecanoe 68, Greenville 51
Tol. St. Francis 59, Detroit UD Jesuit, Mich. 45
Tol. Start 87, Tol. Waite 36
Troy 54, Sidney 48, OT
Uhrichsville Claymont 65, Strasburg 48
Upper Sandusky 70, Bucyrus 28
Urbana 57, New Carlisle Tecumseh 44
Van Wert 40, Celina 32
Van Wert Lincolnview 75, Spencerville 73
Versailles 67, Minster 43
W. Chester Lakota W. 58, Fairfield 41
W. Lafayette Ridgewood 62, Bowerston Conotton Valley 52
W. Liberty-Salem 60, W. Jefferson 40
Wapakoneta 47, Ottawa-Glandorf 45
Warren Howland 51, Warren Harding 50
Waterford 52, Belpre 46
Wellsville 64, Hanoverton United 53
West 66, Cols. Independence 50
Westerville Cent. 61, Grove City Cent. Crossing 54
Westlake 68, N. Olmsted 38
Wheelersburg 60, Minford 43
Willow Wood Symmes Valley 62, Oak Hill 37
Woodsfield Monroe Cent. 69, Hannibal River 42
Yellow Springs 49, Bellefontaine Calvary Christian 37
Youngs. Mooney 53, Warren JFK 42
Zanesville Maysville 72, Byesville Meadowbrook 33
Zanesville W. Muskingum 59, New Lexington 26
Zoarville Tuscarawas Valley 56, Tuscarawas Cent. Cath. 26
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