Cleveland, OH
Judge orders maximum sentence for teen driver of stolen Kia in deadly crash
CLEVELAND — A Cuyahoga County judge hopes to set an example by imposing a maximum sentence for a teen labeled as a “Kia Boy.”
Tuesday, Judge Nancy Margaret Russo ordered a 16-year prison sentence and lifetime driver’s license revocation for Monroe Larkin, III.
The 17-year-old pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and felonious assault for his role in an August 2023 crash that killed one woman and critically injured another.
“She was full of life, laughter and love, the kind of person who could light up a room without even trying,” Leslie Reyes Figueroa said of her younger sister during Tuesday’s sentencing hearing.
Her other sister, Gardenia Calderon, added, “A lot of things in this life are not for certain. But this, growing old with my sisters, I was sure of.”
Janet Reyes was riding in a car with her friend in August 2023 when a stolen Kia Optima hit the pair.
Woman dies after police say stolen KIA crashes into car in Old Brooklyn
Woman dies after police say stolen KIA crashes into car in Old Brooklyn
The 21-year-old was killed on impact, and her friend driving suffered a traumatic brain injury and lost an eye. The friend was unable to attend Tuesday’s hearing because of her ongoing recovery from the crash.
“My incredible sister, who had her whole life ahead of her, [was] taken by boys who call themselves ‘Kia Boys’ – running around our neighborhoods, causing trouble, causing harm to our communities and now causing death to my sister and badly injuring her friend,” Calderon said.
Larkin was driving the stolen Kia. Surveillance video showed the car reaching 88mph on Pearl Road before colliding with the other vehicle at State Road.
“You caused this. You caused their pain. You caused the death of another human being, you interrupted whatever life that person was supposed to have. That’s a heavy burden you’re going to have to carry,” Judge Russo told Larkin from the bench.
Reyes’ family begged for a sentence long enough to teach a lesson. Larkin’s defense attorney asked the judge to consider his client’s age and troubled home life.
Reyes was the second person killed in a crash with a stolen Kia in less than a month. The judge noted the trend of young people stealing cars plaguing Northeast Ohio.
“I hear a lot of people talking to me of – ‘Oh, the person is 17, the person is 16.’ But you knew exactly what you were doing,” Russo told Larkin. “Everybody in this room knows about the terror that’s going on in this community from people who use their age as some kind of shield for committing criminal acts.”
When Larkin’s case was bound over from juvenile court to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, he was facing nearly a dozen charges, including murder.
He accepted a plea deal to reduce the charges to one count each of felonious assault and vehicular homicide. Before sentencing, he briefly apologized to the Reyes family and told them he accepted full responsibility for his actions.
The judge ordered two consecutive eight-year sentences for each charge and told him he would lose his driver’s license indefinitely.
Reyes’ family said they were satisfied with the sentence and hoped it would prevent other families from experiencing their grief.
“The truth is there are many more kids like you in the streets,” Calderon told Larkin in court. “And if we continue letting them get away with horrific crimes, how can our communities get any better?”
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Cleveland, OH
Bodies of 2 young girls found in suitcases in Cleveland’s South Collinwood neighborhood
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd on Tuesday confirmed the bodies of two young girls were found in suitcases on the city’s East Side Monday evening.
Cleveland police were called just after 6 p.m. to a field in the area of East 163rd and Midland Avenue for a suspected dead body.
According to police sources, a man was walking his dog in the area, for the first time in awhile due to the snow, and the dog hit on the scent.
The man immediately called 911.
“The officers responded out and located a deceased individual that was in a shallow grave inside of a suitcase,” said Chief Todd.
When officers and homicide detectives got to the scene, Todd said they found the second body nearby.
According to the chief, both suitcases were partially buried in shallow graves. She said the victims had been there quite some time.
“It is traumatic for everyone. It is traumatic for those who live in the area to know that this was right there at their door step,” said Todd.
Authorities said one victim is believed to be 8-and-a-half to 13 years old and the other is believed to be 10-and-a-half to 14 years old.
There is no indication at this time on their identities, according to police.
“locally we have no reports of missing children to match these identifications. We are checking statewide as well. We have assistance from our state federal and local partners,” said Todd.
Detectives are checking with state and federal partners as well.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner has taken custody of the bodies and will conduct further examination to determine the cause of death.
This crime scene is located near Ginn Academy in the city’s South Collinwood neighborhood.
Police said the investigation remains in its very early stages and there is no indication of an ongoing threat to public safety.
If anyone has any information, they are asked to call the Cleveland Police Homicide Unit at 216-623-5464.
Tips can remain anonymous.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
More than 30K FirstEnergy customers without power in Cuyahoga County
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Thousands of FirstEnergy customers are without power in Cuyahoga County this Tuesday.
The total number reached 31,785 reported outages in Cuyahoga County at noon.
That number decreased to 16,486 as of 1:10 p.m.
There were just 2,751 still without power less than an hour later at 2 p.m.
FirstEnergy estimates power to be restored to most impacted customers between 2-4 p.m. Tuesday.
FirstEnergy spokesperson Brooke Conlan said this is due to small fires on poles.
According to Conlan, the misty rain combined with salt on the road can cause contamination on utility poles, which causes electricity to travel across the the pole and cause the fire.
Conlan added their crews are working as quickly as possible to restore power.
Due to the outages, the Parma Justice Center is closed, and all court proceedings are suspended for the remainder of Tuesday.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
David Henry Obituary – Vermilion, OH
David Henry
OBITUARY
David G. Henry, 70, of Vermilion, passed away Sunday, March 1, 2026, at his home following a lengthy illness.He was born December 14, 1955, in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and had made Vermilion his home for the past 42 years, moving from Irwin, Pennsylvania.Dave began his career with Westinghouse in Pennsylvania before relocating to Ohio in 1983. He was employed at Elyria Foundry for 20 years and later worked as a machinist for 14 years at Betcher Industries, where he retired. He was known throughout his career for his strong work ethic and skilled craftsmanship.In his free time, Dave enjoyed woodworking, taking pride in the projects he created with his hands. Above all, he cherished the time he spent with his family, especially his children and grandchildren.He is survived by his daughter, Alicia Parsons of Vermilion; his sons, David (Fiona) Henry of Bloomington, Indiana and Jonathan (Joanna) Henry of Vermilion and Anthony (Ashley) Cico of Amherst; and 13 beloved grandchildren.He was preceded in death by his wife, Darlene (nee Eckenrode) Henry in 2017; his parents, Charles and Gloria (nee Krider) Henry; his brother, Howard Henry; and his son-in-law, Cliff Parsons.The family will receive friends on Friday, March 20, 2026 from 3:00 p.m. until the time of the memorial service at 5:00 p.m. at the Riddle Funeral Home, 5345 South Street, Vermilion, Ohio.Memorial contributions may be made to Friendship Animal Protective League of Lorain County, Inc. 8303 Murray Ridge Road, Elyria, OH 44035 or Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 95000 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195Online condolences may be made at www.riddlefuneralhome.com
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