EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio– A FOX 8 I-Team camera rolled in an East Cleveland courtroom Wednesday as dereliction of duty charges were dropped against three of five Cleveland police supervisors.
The charges go back to a 2012 police chase and deadly shooting. The East Cleveland law director said simply the charges were dismissed. But multiple sources tell the I-Team, the three police bosses each also agreed to make a hefty donation to an East Cleveland law enforcement trust fund.
East Cleveland Law Director Willa Hemmons made headlines last year when the I-Team revealed she offered to drop charges if the supervisors each paid the city $5,000. That led to cries of justice for sale.
None of the officers agreed to that.
However, sources close to the case say three of the defendants now have each agreed to donate more than $2,000 to an East Cleveland law enforcement trust fund.
The FOX 8 I-Team reached out to Hemmons to further discuss the case, but she sent back a text saying “no comment.”
The charges were dropped against officers Paul Wilson, Jason Edens and Michael Doneghan.
Meantime, we tracked down lawyers for the other two officers still facing charges. Attorney Kevin Spellacy said, “My client will never take part in that scheme. I’ve written to the County Prosecutor and the Attorney General. This isn’t proper.” And Attorney Henry Hilow said, “Now justice has a price. It’s not just about justice. It’s about money.”
Another hearing in the case has been scheduled for next month.
