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Cleveland resident held on $500K bond after accidentally calling Westlake business attempting to set up murder-for-hire plot on son

The man is being charged with the felony of complicity to commit murder.

WESTLAKE, Ohio — A 58-year-old Cleveland man is being held on a $500,000 bond after mistakenly calling a Westlake business attempting to set up a murder-for-hire plot on his son. 

An unnamed business on Canterbury Road contacted Westlake Police on Thursday, Oct. 13, at around 10:45 p.m. after receiving suspicious voicemails.

The individual contacted police after hearing a man leaving a message about "putting a five grand hit on another person."

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"It's a five grand hit on him," the unnamed suspect said in the voicemail. "I don't care where he's at or what he's doing or who he's with."

According to Westlake Police Department, investigators discovered that the caller misdialed a person's phone number when he left the messages at the Westlake business.

"We weren't sure what we were getting into," Capt. Jerry Vogel told 3News, "if it was real or a prank or what."

On Friday, Oct. 14, officials arrested the 58-year-old Cleveland man who admitted to making the phone calls and threatening his son.

"The suspect blamed his poor judgment on an argument he had recently with his son and alcohol," officials said in a media release. 

The man is being charged with the felony of complicity to commit murder. He was arraigned in the Rocky River Municipal Court and is being held on a $500,000 bond at the Cuyahoga County Jail. 

"I've never heard about anybody having a misdial murder for hire, no," Vogel said. "It's something very unique."

Officials further stated that the victim declined any protection after learning of the threats.

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