CLEVELAND — A top official at Cuyahoga County’s troubled jail pleaded guilty on Monday to lying to authorities investigating the death of an inmate.
As part of his plea deal, Associate Warden Eric Ivey agreed to resign his position and cooperate with ongoing investigations into the conditions at the jail.
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Nancy A. Fuerst accepted the plea, bailiff Vermell Harden told Channel 3. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 30.
Last year, a U.S. Marshals Service documented overcrowding, lax oversight and inhuman conditions at the jail. In its report, the U.S. Marshals Service singled out Ivey, then the warden, for violating the civil rights of some inmates and for contributing to other problems. Eight inmates died in the jail in 2018. Another inmate died in May.
Taxpayers from Cleveland and around the county rely on this jail to house and keep track of people arrested in their communities. But the jail has been overcrowded and understaffed. Problems at the jail have sparked lawsuits and local and federal investigations.
The Ohio Attorney General’s investigation has resulted in several indictments, including Ivey’s, former jail director Ken Mills and corrections officers.
County Executive Armond Budish, who is responsible for the management of the jail, has pledged to make reforms since the U.S. Marshal's report was issued in November. But problems have persisted.
Clevealnd.com reported recently that the county is in talks with judges and others about creating a special court docket that would speed up the release of non-violent inmates. Channel 3 has confirmed that the county administration is working on this. A special docket for low-level offenders who can’t afford bail could result in the release hundreds of inmates, lessening overcrowding at the jail. Sources said there no time-frame has been established for when the docket might begin.