CLEVELAND — On Monday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that a total of 160 people were arrested in a human trafficking crackdown initiative, known as “Operation Buyer’s Remorse."
Among the list of 160 people who were taken into custody from Sept. 25-30 was 68-year-old John Zitzner, the co-founder of Breakthrough Charter Schools.
According to a spokesperson for the Ohio Attorney General's Office, Zitzner was arrested by the Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force. Zitzner told task force members that "he works in education at Friend of Breakthrough Schools." His case is being handled through the Rocky River Municipal Court.
Court records show that Zitzner was arrested on Sept. 28 in Westlake and charged with engaging in prostitution. He had his initial court appearance on Monday and is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 10.
"It's very disheartening to hear and I think he should get what he deserves," Hodges McClain said.
McClain has two kids at the Breakthrough Public School's Glenville campus. He said he will discuss the charges with his kids, but hopes it doesn't impact the school, its reputation, or their quality of learning.
"I think these Breakthrough Schools do provide a value for the community and for kids around here and I think the school should continue to keep doing what they're doing," McClain added.
Local law enforcement in Willoughby and Summit County shared how prevalent the problem is right here at home.
"Unfortunately, we've seen a big increase because we border two major freeways, we have a lot of commercial business, hotel business in our city, and it's an opportunity available to these criminals," Willoughby Police Chief James Schultz said. "But we want to shut it down immediately."
"I believe that we have to address the johns because if you don't address them if you don't hold them accountable then the crime continues to perpetuate," Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree noted.
Zitzner, along with co-founder Marshall Emerson III, opened Entrepreneurship Preparatory School, or E Prep, in 2006. He would later open Village Preparatory School, and in 2010, help to form Breakthrough Charter Schools, a non-profit made up of E Prep and other high-performing charter schools in the city. Zitzner had served as president of Friends of Breakthrough prior to his arrest.
Zitzner's name no longer appears on the school's website, but Board Chair Jeff Berlin did release the following statement to 3News that noted Zitner's disconnection from day-to-day school operations:
"While this news was unexpected and disturbing, Friends of Breakthrough is a separate organization from the schools and the resignation does not directly impact staff, schools, or the children served by the schools. John Zitzner did not work at any of the Breakthrough Schools; instead, he worked out of the Friends of Breakthrough office and his role was to meet with community, business, and political leaders to build city-wide support and funding for the schools. While he visited schools on occasion – for example, visiting schools with business, community and political leaders to garner support for the schools, his role did not involve day-to-day interaction with students. At this time, there is no reason to believe he had any inappropriate contact with any students. If any parent were concerned about this, however – or anything, for that matter – they can contact their school’s principal. We always welcome any and all questions and comments from parents in general, as part of our core value of open and honest communication."
"Operation Buyer’s Remorse,” took place from Sept. 25-30 “in every corner of the state," according to Yost's office. “Those arrested come from all backgrounds, including an EMT, nurses, educators, retirees, former law enforcement officers, self-employed individuals, delivery drivers and others."
The youngest person arrested is 17 and the oldest is 84. You can see the entire list here.
Authorities say 149 suspects “seeking to buy sex were arrested and charged with engaging in prostitution. Additional arrests included two individuals for seeking to have sex with minors and six for promoting prostitution. Others were arrested for illegally possessing narcotics and/or firearms, or because there were outstanding warrants against them.”
There were also search warrants conducted at 11 massage parlors suspected of human trafficking activities.
“Nearly 100 law enforcement agencies and service organizations participated in this operation – I am grateful for each and every partner who dedicated their time and resources, as we all play a key role in the fight against human trafficking,” Yost said. “Our message is simple: Don’t buy sex in Ohio!”