CLEVELAND — The City of Cleveland is taking the next step to crack down on properties with known lead issues.
In a press conference Wednesday morning, city officials announced the filing of 50 criminal prosecutions against homeowners and out of state landlords who have not fixed lead issues on their properties.
“We're saying to them, it's not optional,” says Dave Roberts, Cleveland’s chief of code enforcement. “When we give you a lead hazard control order you must comply with it. And if you don't, that's a first-degree misdemeanor, a criminal offense.”
The prosecutions are a joint effort between leaders in public health, law, and building and housing. The 50 cases involve 48 different owners and according to city officials, most of the properties are clustered in southeast Cleveland.
“They might need to replace windows. They might need to cover bare dirt. They might need to paint over where lead paint is becoming lead dust,” Robert says. “Some of this is so simple. It's appalling that people wouldn't at least begin to take care of it.”
All the cases were charged with at least 75 counts for each case. Fines are $1,00 and up to 18 months in jail for defendants. It’s a $5,000 per count fine for non-human defendants like an LLC.
“We're very serious about not having children remain poisoned in Cleveland,” added Cleveland Director of Building & Housing Sally Martin O’Toole.
According to Dr. Dave Margolius, Cleveland’s public health director, every year the department receives over 200 cases of children who have been poisoned by lead at a greater than 10 micrograms per deciliter level. A test result of 10 or more micrograms per deciliter of lead in blood was the previous CDC marker for having a blood lead “level of concern.”
“That means that all of those children have had irreversible neurotoxicity damage that they will take years to recover from, if ever.”
Dr. Margolius says there are over 900 cases every year of lead poisoning at the level of over 3.5 micrograms per deciliter, which is the CDC’s new lower blood level reference value.
“We have a moral obligation to always fight for Cleveland's children and Cleveland's families,” says Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb.
Roberts says the next step for the defendants involved in these 50 criminal cases will be to appear in front of Judge Moná Scott in the coming weeks.
More Headlines on WKYC.com:
- President Biden orders FEMA to appoint coordinator for recovery efforts in East Palestine after toxic train derailment
- Caregivers at Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital claim administrators 'don't care' about patient attacks on nurses, other employees
- City of Cleveland officially announces parking rate of $40 for Browns games at Muni Lot: See other parking rate changes