Natalie McDaniel, the wife of Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren, pleaded not guilty to trespassing charges at a Tuesday morning arraignment in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
McDaniel faces a fourth-degree felony count of trespassing in a habitation with a person present, and a fourth-degree misdemeanor count of criminal trespass, allegedly breaking into a home on Coventry Road.
Earlier this month, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office said in a press release that McDaniel went inside a Cleveland Heights home on July 30 without permission from the owners, after taking pictures of a sign outside calling for Seren's recall. The incident was recorded by a video camera at the home.
Seren defended McDaniel immediately after the July 30 allegations, saying McDaniel approached the home to try and get a business card from a contractor.
A bond of $2,500 was set for McDaniel. Her pretrial is set for Sept. 3.
“Ms. McDaniel adamantly denies the allegations made against her and I will vigorously defend her,” said attorney David Betras. “There's a recall election and they're trying to weaponize this to hurt the mayor.”
Seren faces a recall vote in September.
Betras also said Cleveland Heights police officers intimidated and harassed McDaniel, saying they detained and questioned her for too long and wrongfully confiscated her cell phone.
“They wanted to prevent her from manipulating her phone because there could be evidence of a crime recorded on it. There's no probable cause for seizure,” Betras said.
Earlier this year, a former city employee filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, claiming both Seren and his wife created a hostile work environment at city hall.
The complaint accuses McDaniel of making antisemitic and homophobic comments while acting as a de facto representative of the mayor.
The allegations of a hostile work environment, high staff turnover and the submission of an incomplete 2025 budget were some reasons petitioners said they started the recall campaign.
On several occasions, Seren denied the accusations and said he's faced racial prejudice as mayor.
Unless recalled, Seren’s term ends at the end of the year. Seren failed to get enough signatures to file for re-election.
