Ohio Supreme Court: East Cleveland Judge May Hear Case Against Cleveland Police in 2012 Chase

The Ohio Supreme Court says East Cleveland’s municipal judge may decide whether to hear the cases of five Cleveland police supervisors charged with misdemeanor dereliction of duty.

Cuyahoga County prosecutors accused the supervisors of failing to control the 2012 cross-town chase that involved dozens of police cars and ended with the fatal shooting of an unarmed motorist and his passenger.

Originally, the supervisors were indicted in county common pleas court. After Officer Michael Brelo was acquitted in the shooting, prosecutors moved to charge the supervisors instead in East Cleveland, where the chase ended.

The supervisors argued East Cleveland lacked jurisdiction. An appeals court agreed.

But a unanimous Ohio Supreme Court reversed that ruling on Thursday, saying the question of jurisdiction was up to East Cleveland Judge William Dawson.