Cleveland, OH
Bomb threats against Northeast Ohio school districts continue for 2nd day
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – For the second day, Northeast Ohio school districts are receiving bomb threats.
On Friday morning, two schools in the Elyria City School District, the high school and Ely Elementary, received bomb threats.
Both schools are evacuating students, and emergency responders are on the way, according to a social media post.
All other district schools are in a lockout status as a precaution.
The district asks that family members not come to the schools or call school offices at this time so emergency communication lines remain available.
Elyria Police said that the department is working with the district to ensure the safety and security of students and school personnel following the threats.
“We are aware that neighboring school districts experienced similar swatting-related incidents yesterday, and our investigative personnel are working diligently with our law enforcement partners to identify the source of these threats,” police said.
Five Northeast Ohio school districts received bomb threats on Thursday, including:
- Alliance City School District
- Amherst Exempted Village Schools
- Cleveland Metropolitan School District
- Lorain City School District
- Shaker Heights School District
Below are the details from each district and the protocols in place to protect students and staff.
ALLIANCE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Alliance Police Department confirmed there was an ’anonymous’ robo-voice style call that came into the high school saying there were ’20 pipe bombs’ outside of the school” before 12:30 p.m.
Officers rushed to the high school and Rockhill Elementary School campuses “due to an alarm in which we were not getting a response from the school,” according to APD.
APD shared that the schools evacuated the students temporarily as officers conducted a sweep of the area.
“Nothing was found, thankfully,” APD Lt. Christopher McCord stated. “The school staff, and especially the students, did a great job of staying calm and making everyone’s jobs easier, smoother, and safer.”
“We will be looking into the source of the threats to hold those responsible accountable, if possible,” McCord added.
AMHERST EXEMPTED VILLAGE SCHOOLS
The Amherst Exempted Village School confirmed at 10:25 a.m. that Marion L. Steele High School and Walter G. Nord Middle School received a bomb threat.
AEVS said all district facilities were placed on a level 1 lockdown before the two schools were evacuated to a safe location under the supervision of administration and staff, according to district protocol.
The Amherst police and fire departments teamed up with the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office to perform perimeter and building sweeps to determine if the threat was substantiated, said AEVS.
The perimeter sweeps of the two schools were complete by 11:34 a.m., and law enforcement then conducted the interior sweeps of the buildings, AEVS explained.
Amherst Junior High School and Powers Elementary School lifted their lockdowns at that time and resumed normal procedures, according to AEVS.
AEVS also confirmed at that time that all students and staff were accounted for and safe.
The Amherst Police Department completed its sweep of Steele High School and cleared the building of any threat by 11:51 a.m., AEVS updated.
Students were dismissed for the day at that time, according to AEVS.
AEVS instructed student drivers to leave the campus, and students unable to immediately leave were to stay at the school until they could be picked up by a parent, guardian, or approved emergency contact.
The bus routes were running at the scheduled normal dismissal time for students who need a ride home, AEVS added.
APD completed its sweep of Nord School and cleared the building of any threat by 12:32 p.m., AEVS updated.
Nord School students were safely escorted back into the building, according to AEVS, after evacuating to the New Beginning Church as a safe location.
AEVS instructed parents, guardians, and approved emergency contacts who wanted to pick up their student to report to the school’s front entrance, where staff and APD officers would help.
Classes, activities, and normal dismissal procedures resumed as scheduled for students who stayed at the school, AEVS shared, and bus dismissal also proceeded per usual.
“We appreciate the cooperation, patience, and support of our families and community throughout today’s situation,” AEVS stated.
According to AEVS Superintendent Mike Molnar, all evening activities at the school will continue as scheduled, and school will resume on Friday.
Molnar added that AEVS will have an increased police presence at schools on Thursday night and Friday.
CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District confirmed two threats were received on Thursday morning. The threats were against East Tech High School and Buhrer Dual Language Academy.
According to CMSD, Cleveland police and CMSD’s Department of Safety & Security conducted an investigation and found the buildings to be safe.
From the information gathered during the searches, Cleveland police believe both calls were swatting incidents.
Classes at both schools were uninterrupted, and the school day progressed normally.
Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Communications Officer Jon Benedict added that parents were informed about the incident.
LORAIN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Lorain City School District confirmed the high school has been evacuated due to a bomb threat on Thursday afternoon.
This is the third Northeast Ohio school district to receive a bomb threat on May 7.
The district announced the evacuation of Lorain High School at 12:23 p.m., and dismissed students at 12:40 p.m.
Bus riders were escorted to the buses waiting to take them home, according to LCSD.
LCSD said many elementary and middle school students were at the high school for the dance showcase.
Those elementary and middle school students were brought back to their home schools, said LCSD.
All students and staff are safe and following established protocols, LCSD stated, and these measures are being taken out of an abundance of caution.
The district safety team and law enforcement partners continue to investigate this threat.
“Your students’ and our staff’s safety is our top priority,” LCSD stated.
A 19 News crew is on their way to the scene to learn more.
SHAKER HEIGHTS SCHOOL DISTRICT
Shaker Heights High School received its second threatening phone call this week on Thursday, the district confirmed.
Shaker Heights School District said it immediately teamed up with the Shaker Heights Police Department to investigate the threat and determined its credibility.
SHSD said it was aware of the other Northeast Ohio school districts that received similar threats on Thursday.
“Based on the SHPD’s assessment and established safety protocols, the decision was made to continue normal school operations rather than initiate a shelter-in-place,” SHSD stated.
Additional SHPD officers and a K-9 unit were sent to the school out of an abundance of caution to support the safety and security of the building as the investigation continues, SHSD added.
Orrville City Schools were also placed on a soft lockdown on Thursday.
However, this was not a bomb threat, nor any direct threat to the school.
The soft lockdown was a precautionary measure for an incident that happened not just off school property, but out of the town.
This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
CLEVELAND — The U.S. Marshals arrested a man at the same home where a Tennessee woman’s body was found last week.
According to authorities, 44-year-old Matthew Hensley was spotted by Marshals while hiding in a cabinet near a window at the home on Bosworth Road.
“They pulled him out of there, and I said, ‘Oh my god, that’s him, that’s him, that’s him,’” neighbor Sol Galarza said.
A passerby captured Hensley’s arrest on his cell phone. The video shows Hensley barefoot and barely dressed, walking arm-in-arm with SWAT officers.
The Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department wanted Hensley for failing to register his address after a conviction of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
He also had additional charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor from an indictment in 2022.
“He was wanted for failure to register and also having unlawful contact with a minor, so the sooner we get him off the streets, the better,” U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said.
Authorities spent months searching for him. After receiving many tips, Marshals staked out the house Thursday night and went in Friday morning.
“One of our investigators felt it in his heart that he probably had a hidden space within that house, and sure enough, when we hit that spot today, he was hiding behind this wall,” Elliott said.
Last week, Cleveland police found a woman’s body in the backyard of the same house. Hensley has not been charged in connection with her death.
Tennessee woman who went missing with young daughter found dead in Cleveland
Xbox. A girl at a fire station. A body in a yard. Investigators search for clues about woman’s fatal journey.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s office identified the woman as 37-year-old Amber Graham.
Graham’s 8-year-old daughter turned up at a Cleveland firehouse and is safe with Child Protective Services.
Police in Spring Hill, Tennessee, which is just south of Nashville, have been looking for Graham since last week.
Cleveland police call records show reports that the girl’s mom, Amber Graham, was being held by Matthew Hensley.
“I seen her walking to the store, I think that’s when she first came, I seen the truck the out-of-state plates,” Robert Bercar said.
Bercar lives next door to the house where Graham’s body was found.
“Until they can figure out what happened to the woman from Tennessee, right, I think that’s the best place,” Bercar said.
Cleveland Police have not released any further details and are awaiting the medical examiner’s ruling before determining whether this is a criminal case.
Hensley is in the Cuyahoga County jail.
News 5 has yet to learn how Graham died and how her daughter ended up at a fire station.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Cleveland police say a 23-year-old woman died in May after being thrown from an ATV, and officers need your help tracking down persons of interest.
The horrific incident took place on May 17 during a street takeover in the area of East 100th Street and Buckeye Avenue in the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood.
Officers say Yarianalie Garcia, from Lakewood, fell from the ATV when the operator performed a wheelie.
According to police, the operator stopped for a short time but did not help Garcia and left.
She later died at a local hospital.
Councilman calls for accountability
Cleveland City Councilman Blaine Griffin, who represents the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood, said gatherings involving dirt bikes and ATVs have grown dangerously out of control in Northeast Ohio.
“Even though this is a result of reckless behavior, somebody lost a life — and we lost a dear, cherished person of the city of Cleveland,” Griffin said.
Griffin said the events can escalate quickly.
“These things often might sound like they start off as innocent, a fun Sunday Funday, but then they turn into tragedy, like the loss of this life,” he said.
Griffin also directed a message to anyone who was present that day.
“First and foremost, I hope that the person who was driving the vehicle actually has a conscience and turns themselves in — because the family is going to want justice,” Griffin said.
Now, Cleveland police have released several photos in a push to identify the ATV operator and a second witness on a white dirt bike.
Anyone with information is asked to call 216-623-5295.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Two of the keys for Cleveland’s near and long-term future are how both of their first-round picks perform in their rookie seasons. Both Spencer Fano and KC Concepcion are under a lot of pressure to show that they have what it takes to be long-term pieces in this league.
It is going to be a challenge for both of them, as the Browns offense is very young throughout and will also have a major question mark at the quarterback position. With all of the aside, the Browns have had a very rough go at it with their first-round picks in the last 20 years.
We are examining the careers of the last 10 to see which ones were worth the selection and which ones were a bust. Spoiler alert, it’s heavily weighted to the latter.
Cleveland’s last eleven first-round picks are a roller coaster of results, which is the reason they have been perpetually stuck in a rebuild.
2015 Round 1 Pick 12: DT Danny Shelton
Cleveland went with the defensive line to start the 2015 draft and took one of the biggest busts of that first round. Shelton had potential but never grew into it. It is always a risk going DL in the first round because if the result isn’t a home run, it is likely a failure.
2015 Round 1 Pick 19: OT Cameron Erving
DL and OL were within just a few picks away from each other with the intent of bolstering their lines of scrimmage, it didn’t work. Erving spent only two seasons in Cleveland before being traded to Kansas City in 2017.
2016 Round 1 Pick 15: WR Corey Coleman
This was one pick that I personally got excited about when it happened, and then that was the best part of the Corey Coleman tenure. He never materialized as a player in the NFL and was one of the biggest busts from the 2016 draft.
2017 Round 1 Pick 1: DE Myles Garrett
The moment that Myles Garrett hits five years after retirement, he will walk right through the doors in Canton, Ohio. The only hope is that his career comes back to Cleveland before it ends.
2017 Round 1 Pick 25: S Jabrill Peppers
Peppers brought an attitude and a swagger to the back end of the Browns’ defense. He ended up being an average Cleveland Brown because, in my opinion, he was massively misused in his time in Cleveland.
2017 Round 1 Pick 29: TE David Njoku
Many Browns fans were hoping Njoku would retire as a Cleveland Brown, but it wasn’t in the cards. It was nine seasons of good to very good for Njoku. He, like many, suffered from horrible QB play throughout his career, and it cost him the prime of his career.
2018 Round 1 Pick 1: QB Baker Mayfield
It was always so close with Baker. He had the right attitude to turn the Cleveland franchise around, but he could never get out of his own way. Turnovers, immaturity, and a string of bad coaching cost him what could have been an incredibly special career.
2018 Round 1 Pick 4: CD Denzel Ward
Ward has been a slam dunk pick from his literal first game. In that opening game, Ward intercepted Ben Roethlisberger twice and began what has been an amazing career in Cleveland. His time here is coming to a close, but he was everything and more than what the Browns could have asked for.
2019 Round 1 Pick 17: Traded to New York for Odell Beckham Jr.
2020 Round 1 Pick 10: OT Jedrick Wills Jr.
This one hurts because Andrew Berry selected Wills three spots ahead of Tristan Wirfs, who is on his way to what could be a Hall-of-Fame career.
2021 Round 1 Pick 26: CB Greg Newsome III
Newsome loved playing for the Cleveland Browns more than anything. His game never matched his infinite love for the city, as he just lacked some of the required skills to be a lockdown DB. No one will ever forget his pick six against Baltimore to come back on the Ravens.
2022 Round 1 Pick 13: Traded to Houston for Deshaun Watson
2023 Round 1 Pick 12: Traded to Houston for Deshaun Watson
2024 Round 1 Pick 23: Traded to Houston for Deshaun Watson
2025 Round 1 Pick 5: DT Mason Graham
Graham played very well in his first year in Cleveland, but again, it is a major risk to take a DT in the first round, let alone the top 5. He has to be a home run hit, or else there will be a lot of questions.
The first round has been quite the roller coaster for the Browns over the past 15 years. It is no surprise to Browns fans, but reliving the ups and downs is always a good thought experiment about what could have been if Cleveland had made the right picks consistently.
The hope now is that their most recent picks, Fano and Concepcion, prove that they fall into that category and will be in Cleveland for a very long time.
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