CLEVELAND — A former East Cleveland police officer was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison Monday after he and his partner stole from multiple residents while performing their official duties.
Thirty-five-year-old Alfonzo Cole and his fellow officer, 32-year-old Willie Sims, schemed to take more than $14,000 — along with drugs and guns — from at least six individuals between July of 2020 and July of 2021. They 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.
Cole and Sims each pleaded guilty last month 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.
The 30-month sentence came as the result of a plea agreement between Cole's attorney and prosecutors. The gun crimes were included as part of the deal.
Prior to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Michael J. Russo issuing the official punishment, Cole apologized for his actions, acknowledging he had ruined his career as a police officer. Russo still condemned Cole's behavior, saying it had "damaged everybody in the community."
"When a[n] individual who is a police officer has taken that oath, he, in essence, is in a criminal category of his own," "He, in effect, is a traitor to the system. He's far worse than your normal burglar or robber or criminal."
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 will also have to pay $40,000 in fines and more than $9,000 in restitution. In addition, his peace officer license has been permanently suspended.
Sims was originally scheduled to be sentenced with Cole, but instead will learn his fate at a later time.
