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2 former East Cleveland police officers plead guilty to stealing from multiple people during traffic stops and searches

Both Alfonzo Cole and Willie Sims now face multiple years in prison each as part of a massive corruption probe involving the East Cleveland Police Department.

CLEVELAND — Two former East Cleveland police officers have admitted to accusations both stole from multiple people while performing their duties for the department.

Thirty-five-year-old Alfonzo Cole and 32-year-old Willie Sims reached an agreement to plead guilty Monday to four counts of robbery and one count of theft in office. In exchange, several other charges such as aggravated theft (a first-degree felony) were dismissed, although Cole also pleaded guilty to two unrelated weapons charges.

Cole and Sims were partners on the East Cleveland force, and prosecutors have contended the pair took more than $14,000 along with drugs and guns from at least six individuals between July of 2020 and July of 2021. The pair would commit their crimes while conducting routine traffic stops or searches of vehicles belonging to the unknowing victims, and in one instance they pulled over a man on his way to pay for a funeral and took $4,000 from his car. The 21-year-old reported the incident to police, and Cole and Sims were arrested the next day.

Credit: Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office
From left: Ex-East Cleveland police officers Willie Sims and Alfonzo Cole following their arrest on felony theft charges.

"It is an honor and a privilege to serve the public," Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O'Malley said in a statement. "These officers took an oath to serve and protect the public and with their actions they violated that oath. The citizens of East Cleveland deserve better and today demonstrates that public corruption of any kind will not be tolerated in Cuyahoga County."

The case of Cole and Sims is just part of a massive corruption probe involving the East Cleveland Police Department, which so far has seen more than a dozen current or former officers charged with various crimes. Most notable among the accused is ex-Police Chief Scott Gardner, who could potentially spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted of a slew of felonies involving alleged theft of thousands of dollars while in his position.

Cole and Sims were fired from their jobs shortly after being arrested, and will now be sentenced on Sept. 11 by Cuyahoga County Judge Michael J. Russo. Sims faces up to nine years behind bars, while Cole could get that plus an additional 7 1/2 years due to his weapons crimes.

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