CUYAHOGA HEIGHTS, Ohio — Newburgh Heights Mayor-elect Trevor Elkins has pleaded no contest in connection with his role in a fight outside an area bar last week.
Elkins and two others were cited for disorderly conduct following the brawl in the parking lot of Cuyahoga Heights' 49th Street Tavern just after midnight Friday. Elkins had been scheduled to appear in Garfield Heights Municipal Court on Wednesday, but instead reached a deal a day early that saw him pay a $315 fine.
According to a Cuyahoga Heights police report, Elkins and another man named Joseph Capuano admitted to getting into an argument inside the bar with 51-year-old Anthony Dattilo, of Hinckley. Elkins claimed Dattilo followed them outside, where the argument continued.
Fifty-two-year-old Israel Rojas — an acquaintance of Dattilo — then provided officers with cell phone video of the altercation, which can be viewed below (NOTE: 3News has censored portions of the footage for language):
In the video, Elkins (wearing a maroon polo shirt) can be seen in Dattilo's face egging him to "do something." The two then start shoving each other before Rojas gets Elkins off of Ditillo and eventually wrestles him to the ground while repeatedly telling him to "stop it." Rojas was the only one of the four not charged, with authorities determining he was attempting to "de-escalate the situation."
Further away, Dattilo held a yelling Capuano on the ground before letting him get up, and Capuano winded up calling 911. The shouting match continued until police arrived, with Capuano hitting Dattilo in the face and Datillo later striking Elkins.
Reached by 3News for comment, Elkins gave us the following statement:
"This event occurred as I was returning from a business trip to Columbus and stopped to meet friends for a late dinner and then was trying to leave. Unfortunately, tempers flared between myself and a landlord of the village that has had an axe to grind with me for years. Other individuals then inserted themselves into the argument and things became chaotic. I should have ignored it. I didn't and the argument escalated. I've learned a good lesson. There is no further statement."
The "landlord" Elkins referenced is Dattilo, who owns a number of residential properties in the Cleveland area.
Elkins previously served as Mayor of Newburgh Heights for more than a decade, earning headlines for ideas such as a 32-hour work week for village employees and offering to pay off student loans for any new homebuyers. However, his time in office ended unceremoniously in 2022, when he resigned after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations.
Elkins' plea deal originally banned him from running for political office during the 2024-28 term, but Cuyahoga County Judge Joan Synenberg amended the agreement to impose a 30-day jail sentence and 200 hours of community service. Once Elkins served those punishments, the restrictions on running for office were lifted, and he subsequently announced his reelection campaign against his replacement, former Village Council President Pro Tempore Gigi Traore.
Traore had clashed with Council on several matters, notably when legislators approved (before partly walking back) layoffs involving police and other village departments. Cleveland.com's editorial board still endorsed Traore for a full term and chided Elkins for "his ongoing political interference in the village," but Elkins went on to win the November general election by more than 40 percentage points.
Elkins is set to be sworn back into his old position next month.