CLEVELAND — Bond was set at $100,000 after Alexander Lackey, 35, pleaded not guilty in court Friday to multiple charges, including five counts of rape. His first pre-trial has been set for April 19 at 9 a.m.
Conditions of his bond include court-supervised release, surrendering his passport, GPS monitoring and no contact with the victim.
3News’ Mark Naymik reported earlier this week that a Cuyahoga County Grand Jury secretly indicted Lackey last month on five counts of rape, three counts of sexual battery and one count of domestic violence.
Cleveland City Hall hired Lackey in December 2014 as a special assistant to the mayor, according to 2019 city payroll records. His annual salary is $64,500, the records show.
Tyler Sinclair, a spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, offered the following statement to 3News regarding the charges against Lackey:
“On January 6, 2021, officers with the Cleveland Division of Police (CPD) responded to a report of domestic violence between Alexander Lackey, 35, and the victim, 19, at his residence on Broxton Avenue near West 144th Street in Cleveland. The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment. A subsequent investigation conducted by CPD’s Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit revealed that Lackey sexually assaulted the victim multiple times at his residence between October 2018 and December 2020. A Cuyahoga County grand jury returned an indictment charging him with the following: five counts of rape, three counts of sexual battery, one count of domestic violence. A warrant has been issued for Lackey’s arrest. Due to the defendant’s current position as an international affairs coordinator for the City of Cleveland, which we believe requires global travel, there was a concern that he posed a flight risk had he learned that he was indicted.”
The City of Cleveland released the following statement to 3News Wednesday afternoon regarding the situation:
The City of Cleveland was made aware of felony charges against Government and International Affairs Manager Alex Lackey. On Monday, March 29, 2021, pursuant to Civil Service Rule 9.20 (B), Alex Lackey was relieved of duty with pay for allegations of misconduct until the pre-disciplinary hearing is held. A pre-disciplinary hearing has been rescheduled for the week of April 12.
The City of Cleveland will maintain the confidentiality and privacy of all City employees until due process is afforded and/or the matter is adjudicated.
All other inquiries on this matter should be referred to Mr. Lackey’s attorney.
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