By Adam Ferrise
Advance Ohio Media
CLEVELAND — Three Cuyahoga County Jail officers and a supervisor face discipline after they released three inmates by mistake in one day, according to a county official.
Cuyahoga County spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan said in an email on Monday that three different officers failed to follow “well-defined” protocols that led to the inmates’ releases. She also said a supervisor failed to review the officer’s work.
“As a result, we are moving forward with the disciplinary process for all 4 employees,” Madigan’s statement said.
Madigan did not return multiple messages seeking more information, including the current employment status of the officers, their names, potential punishments or the specifics of how each inmate ended up released.
County officials will hold a hearing at a later date and determine discipline.
Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association attorney Adam Chaloupka said the county has not yet notified the union of the disciplinary proceedings.
“I think it’s horribly inappropriate for the county the announce this without letting the union and the officers know beforehand,” said Chaloupka, who represents the jail officer’s union. “We will scrutinize these allegations to ensure all of our members are defended in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement.”
All three inmates were released by mistake on June 13. They each faced misdemeanor charges when they were released that day after their arraignments. Two are charged with domestic violence and one with assault. Two were later arrested and a third was issued a summons to appear in court at a later date.
The jail in recent years struggled with releasing inmates by mistake. Jail employees erroneously released four inmates in six months between April and October 2019, including a man accused of murder.
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