This is The Marshall Project - Cleveland’s newsletter, a digest of criminal justice news from around Ohio gathered by our staff of local journalists. Want this delivered to your inbox? Sign up for future newsletters.
State suspends admissions at Mohican Young Star Academy
Weeks after The Marshall Project - Cleveland found escalating violence at Mohican Young Star Academy, Ohio officials have suspended admissions to the embattled youth treatment center.
The move leaves juvenile court judges and local children’s services agencies that rely on the facility — including in Cuyahoga, Summit, Hamilton and Lucas counties — reassessing contracts or preparing to relocate youth, many of whom have complex behavioral and mental health needs.
The youth treatment facility “has demonstrated a pattern of serious noncompliance and/or committed violations that pose a substantial risk to the health and safety of residents in its care,” Eric Wandersleben, a spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health wrote in an emailed statement to The Marshall Project - Cleveland.
The pause on admissions will remain in place until the violations are corrected, Wandersleben said.
Read the story here.
If you have information about a child living in an Ohio youth treatment center, contact Brittany Hailer at bhailer@themarshallproject.org.
– Brittany Hailer
Why a public record cost Cuyahoga County taxpayers $650,000
In April 2023, Georgeanna Semary did something she had done for 14 years as a top aide to Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze: She fulfilled a reporter’s request for public records.
This time was different. Releasing the court records led to Semary being demoted and losing thousands of dollars in pay, she said. A lawsuit against Celebrezze and other court officials soon followed.
Semary alleged that her demotion amounted to retaliation and witness intimidation for providing The Marshall Project - Cleveland with billing invoices involving Mark Dottore, Celebrezze’s longtime friend whom she’d repeatedly appointed as receiver to oversee lucrative divorce cases.
This week, the Cuyahoga County Council unanimously approved a $400,000 settlement with Semary. That’s on top of $250,000 the county paid in 2024 to cover outside legal fees.
– Mark Puente
Reaching out, looking ahead into 2026
When I first began as the outreach manager of The Marshall Project - Cleveland, I believed I understood the importance of storytelling. Being here has shown me what a story truly carries.
Our stories are not just words. They reflect the lives of families trying to understand harm that should have never happened. They are people sitting in cells during the holidays while their families hold on to hope.
As we end this year and many of us spend time with family or remember those we have lost, I ask you to imagine this: If it were your son, your mother, your brother, or your closest friend who had been mistreated or ignored, what would you want to know about how we choose our stories, how we gather information, and how we work toward a more just society?
Your input will guide how we grow our engagement in 2026 and keep our work grounded in community.
Please send your questions or thoughts to lfields@themarshallproject.org.
– Louis Fields
Around the 216
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Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to make an announcement next month outlining his thoughts on Ohio’s death penalty. No one has been executed by the state since 2018. Cleveland.com
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Murder charges against Elwood Jones, an Ohio man who spent over 25 years on death row, have been dismissed by prosecutors who are no longer convinced of his guilt after DNA testing prompted a judge in 2022 to grant a new trial. WKYC 3News
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A man alleges in a lawsuit that a Cuyahoga County sheriff’s supervisor used excessive force during a 2023 encounter with the department’s Downtown Safety Patrol, now known as the Community Support Unit. Cleveland.com
