Judge William Dawson's authority has been obstructed by Mayor Brandon King, police and prosecutors who are making cases go away without bringing Americans they've arrested without warrants before the court to file an affidavit of charges. After King visited Basheer Jones in jail the day he was arrested on gun charges in 2019 his "paperwork" went away, but the arrest record remained on the FBI's National Crime Information Center criminal records history database. King allegedly told police not to contact Judge Dawson so Twon Billings could be bonded out of a jail the state ordered closed. Dawson must investigate and file criminal charges against the offenders.

Read Ohio Criminal Rule 11 and the “pleas, rights upon plea” rights that come with every arrest to understand why Basheer Jones’ disappearing arrest records made Judge Dawson curious

Between Judge Dawson and East Cleveland city council the two branches of government should conduct an investigation to learn how extensively police have been arresting citizens and then hiding the arrest records from the court to dismiss without authority on their own

CLEVELAND, OHIO – I have published Ohio Criminal Rule 11 in its entirety at the bottom of this story so readers will fully-understand the relevancy behind the question I asked East Cleveland Municipal Court Judge William Dawson about the status of Ward 7 Councilman Basheer Sudan Jones’ case.  Jones was arrested by two East Cleveland police officers on April 19, 2019.

Jones was charged with “improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle.”  The offense was a 4th degree felony violation of Section 2923. 16 of the Ohio Revised Code.   The incident report East Cleveland’s cops generated doesn’t identify the reason for his “arrest without a warrant” or the basis for the search of the Cleveland politician’s vehicle.  Jones was a suspect of something and they found what had been claimed was an improperly handled gun during a search of his vehicle.

Unsworn private attorneys Willa Hemmons and Heather McCollough appear to be cooperating with an East Cleveland police scheme to obstruct Judge William Dawson from dismissing and deciding the outcome of arrests.

Dawson wrote to EJBNEWS that Jones was not brought before him as required of municipal law enforcement officers in Section 2935.05 of the Revised Code of Ohio.

“There is nothing in our court system which leads me to assume that it never resulted in a formal charge by the prosecutor’s office,” Dawson wrote.  “I am saying he was never arraigned before me for those charges.”

Section 2935.05 of the Revised Code of Ohio exists under the heading, “Filing affidavit where arrest without warrant.”  The statute makes reference to another statute within it, R.C. 2935.03, that describes every category of Ohio law enforcement officer authorized to arrest and / or pursue without a warrant.  R.C. 2935.05 gave the individuals discharging law enforcement officer duties pursuant to R.C. 737.11 very specific “mandatory” instructions to follow during every arrest.

Basheer Jones was arrested by East Cleveland “cops” John E. Hartman and Michael Woodside, and someone other than Judge William Dawson called themselves “dismissing” the case.

“When a person named in section 2935.03 of the Revised Code has arrested a person without a warrant, he shall, without unnecessary delay, take the person arrested before a court or magistrate having jurisdiction of the offense, and shall file or cause to be filed an affidavit describing the offense for which the person was arrested. Such affidavit shall be filed either with the court or magistrate, or with the prosecuting attorney or other attorney charged by law with prosecution of crimes before such court or magistrate and if filed with such attorney he shall forthwith file with such court or magistrate a complaint, based on such affidavit.”

East Cleveland Councilwoman Juanita Gowdy has confirmed to EJBNEWS that police under twice-indicted felon and law enforcement officer impersonator Scott Gardner’s management “dismissed” the gun charges against Jones.   That’s the information she acquired from self-employed attorney Heather McCollough discharging the duties of a prosecuting attorney without an oath of office; and handling undisclosed private cases on the side.

Gowdy has promised to fire McCollough and attorney Willa Hemmons as East Cleveland’s next mayor.  She’s campaigning to replace Richmond Heights resident Brandon King.

Council Vice President Juanita Gowdy confirmed that Cleveland councilman Basheer Jones’ arrest was “dismissed” by the police and not at the request of the prosecutor to Judge William Dawson.  Judge Dawson expressed concern about the violation of R.C. 2035.05 to EJBNEWS.

Jones was charged, apparently only by the police and not the city’s prosecutor or judge, with “improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle.”   The offense was a 4th degree felony violation of Section 2923. 16 of the Ohio Revised Code.

The incident report East Cleveland’s cops generated doesn’t identify the reason for the arrest or the basis for the search of the Cleveland politician’s vehicle.  Jones was a suspect of something and they found what cops claimed was the improperly handled gun he had a right to possess and transport.

The record of Jones’ April 19, 2019 arrest appears to have still been entered in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) criminal records history database Ohio police can access through the Law Enforcement Automated Data Systems (LEADS) portal.  That’s where Lake County Sheriff’s deputies found Jones arrest records when they denied his request for a concealed carry permit on December 26, 2019.

A warrantless arrest by a law enforcement officer or private citizen triggers 4th Amendment rights under the Constitution of the United States of America that are implemented into practice through Ohio Criminal Rule 11 and other criminal and civil rules of procedure.  The only way to adjudicate an arrest is in an open court before a judge, magistrate or jury.  Any dismissal Jones sought or was given should have been upon request of the prosecuting attorney – either McCollough or Hemmons – before Dawson.

State laws require judges to strip cops who are indicted for felonies and plead to misdemeanors of their OPOTA certifications. They’re done as a cop forever in Ohio. Scott Gardner’s been indicted and convicted twice for felonies in separate counties between 2013 and 2014; and he hasn’t stopped working. He’s even submitted fraudulent documents to OPOTA to so he doesn’t have to stop stealing from East Cleveland taxpayers and running the police department like an organized crime gang with Larry McDonald.

What’s pathetic is Jones is campaigning for mayor of Cleveland to hold office as the city’s chief law enforcement officer; and he’s accepting side deals to avoid the embarassment of an arrest instead of fighting for constitutional rights East Cleveland cops violated.  What’s clear is his constitutional rights were violated with the arrest and he was too cowardly to fight for them.

If he won’t fight for his own rights he won’t fight for anyone else’s if given management of the police department and city prosecutor’s office.  There’s no police reform legislation bearing his name as a councilman.

East Cleveland police under King’s twice-convicted police chief, Gardner, and the crew of non-Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy certified organized criminals impersonating law enforcement officers they manage, have been accused of making arrests go away in exchange for special favors.

They’ve had their child. Sergeant Dominique King is not pregnant at the time. But imagine filing a complaint against Larry McDonald with internal affairs and it goes to his baby mama.

Hemmons cut a side “cash for dismissal of charges” deal with the five Cleveland police supervisors charged with dereliction of duty in the Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams pursuit and slaughter inside East Cleveland.  Larry McDonald offered to get charges dismissed against a woman he wanted to date; and in exchange for dinner.

Kenneth DiSalvo changed his name to Kenneth Lundy after he resigned from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s department.  In the other county he told a jailed female American citizen he’d give her food in exchange for showing him her breasts.  He now works for King as a commander.

It’s been alleged that arrest records are disappearing for cash, car titles, drugs and sex.  A citizen complaining to East Cleveland’s internal affairs officer about McDonald gets “sergeant” Dominique King with whom he has a child.

The prosecutor’s office did not review or rule on McDonald’s shooting of Vincent Belmonte in the back of the head after he snatched off his bodycam. A “committee” of law enforcement officer impersonators cleared him of Belmonte’s shooting.  There are no controls over these law enforcement officer impersonating criminals.

Judge Dawson and the council must investigate what are clearly criminal acts surrounding warrantless arrests that individuals wearing law enforcement uniforms and carrying weapons are engaging in on East Cleveland streets.  Jones’ arrest coupled with Dawson’s questions about what happened to it offers the best evidence for an investigation’s launching point into what transpired between him and the police.

Who intervened on his behalf?  What was the favor or deal?

Read Criminal Rule 11 below.

Rule 11 – Pleas, Rights Upon Plea
(A) Pleas. A defendant may plead not guilty, not guilty by reason of insanity, guilty or, with the consent of the court, no contest. A plea of not guilty by reason of insanity shall be made in writing by either the defendant or the defendant’s attorney. All other pleas may be made orally. The pleas of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity may be joined. If a defendant refuses to plead, the court shall enter a plea of not guilty on behalf of the defendant.
(B) Effect of guilty or no contest pleas. With reference to the offense or offenses to which the plea is entered:

(1) The plea of guilty is a complete admission of the defendant’s guilt.
(2) The plea of no contest is not an admission of defendant’s guilt, but is an admission of the truth of the facts alleged in the indictment, information, or complaint, and the plea or admission shall not be used against the defendant in any subsequent civil or criminal proceeding.
(3) When a plea of guilty or no contest is accepted pursuant to this rule, the court, except as provided in divisions (C)(3) and (4) of this rule, shall proceed with sentencing under Crim.R. 32.
(C) Pleas of guilty and no contest in felony cases.

(1) Where in a felony case the defendant is unrepresented by counsel the court shall not accept a plea of guilty or no contest unless the defendant, after being readvised that he or she has the right to be represented by retained counsel, or pursuant to Crim.R. 44 by appointed counsel, waives this right.
(2) In felony cases the court may refuse to accept a plea of guilty or a plea of no contest, and shall not accept a plea of guilty or no contest without first addressing the defendant personally and doing all of the following:

(a) Determining that the defendant is making the plea voluntarily, with understanding of the nature of the charges and of the maximum penalty involved, and if applicable, that the defendant is not eligible for probation or for the imposition of community control sanctions at the sentencing hearing.
(b) Informing the defendant of and determining that the defendant understands the effect of the plea of guilty or no contest, and that the court, upon acceptance of the plea, may proceed with judgment and sentence.
(c) Informing the defendant and determining that the defendant understands that by the plea the defendant is waiving the rights to jury trial, to confront witnesses against him or her, to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in the defendant’s favor, and to require the state to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at a trial at which the defendant cannot be compelled to testify against himself or herself.
(3) With respect to aggravated murder committed on and after January 1, 1974, the defendant shall plead separately to the charge and to each specification, if any. A plea of guilty or no contest to the charge waives the defendant’s right to a jury trial, and before accepting a plea of guilty or no contest the court shall so advise the defendant and determine that the defendant understands the consequences of the plea.

If the indictment contains no specification, and a plea of guilty or no contest to the charge is accepted, the court shall impose the sentence provided by law.

If the indictment contains one or more specifications, and a plea of guilty or no contest to the charge is accepted, the court may dismiss the specifications and impose sentence accordingly, in the interests of justice.

If the indictment contains one or more specifications that are not dismissed upon acceptance of a plea of guilty or no contest to the charge, or if pleas of guilty or no contest to both the charge and one or more specifications are accepted, a court composed of three judges shall:

(a) determine whether the offense was aggravated murder or a lesser offense; and (b) if the offense is determined to have been a lesser offense, impose sentence accordingly; or (c) if the offense is determined to have been aggravated murder, proceed as provided by law to determine the presence or absence of the specified aggravating circumstances and of mitigating circumstances, and impose sentence accordingly.
(4) With respect to all other cases the court need not take testimony upon a plea of guilty or no contest.
(D) Misdemeanor cases involving serious offenses. In misdemeanor cases involving serious offenses the court may refuse to accept a plea of guilty or no contest, and shall not accept such plea without first addressing the defendant personally and informing the defendant of the effect of the pleas of guilty, no contest, and not guilty and determining that the defendant is making the plea voluntarily. Where the defendant is unrepresented by counsel the court shall not accept a plea of guilty or no contest unless the defendant, after being readvised that he or she has the right to be represented by retained counsel, or pursuant to Crim.R. 44 by appointed counsel, waives this right.
(E) Misdemeanor cases involving petty offenses. In misdemeanor cases involving petty offenses the court may refuse to accept a plea of guilty or no contest, and shall not accept such pleas without first informing the defendant of the effect of the plea of guilty, no contest, and not guilty.

The counsel provisions of Crim.R. 44(B) and (C) apply to division (E) of this rule.

(F)Negotiated plea cases. When a negotiated plea of guilty or no contest to one or more offenses charged or to one or more other or lesser offenses is offered, the underlying agreement upon which the plea is based shall be stated on the record in open court. To the extent required by Article I, Section 10a of the Ohio Constitution or by the Revised Code, before accepting the plea, the trial court shall allow an alleged victim of the crime to raise any objection to the terms of the plea agreement.
(G) Refusal of court to accept plea. If the court refuses to accept a plea of guilty or no contest, the court shall enter a plea of not guilty on behalf of the defendant. In such cases neither plea shall be admissible in evidence nor be the subject of comment by the prosecuting attorney or court.
(H) Defense of insanity. The defense of not guilty by reason of insanity must be pleaded at the time of arraignment, except that the court for good cause shown shall permit such a plea to be entered at any time before trial.

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Eric Jonathan Brewer

Cleveland's most influential journalist and East Cleveland's most successful mayor is an East Saint Louis, Illinois native whose father led the city's petition drive in 1969 to elect the first black mayor in 1971. Eric is an old-school investigative reporter whose 40-year body of editorial work has been demonstrably effective. No local journalist is feared or respected more.

Trained in newspaper publishing by the legendary Call & Post Publisher William Otis Walker in 1978 when it was the nation's 5th largest Black-owned publication, Eric has published and edited 13 local, regional and statewide publications across Ohio. Adding to his publishing and reporting resume is Eric's career in government. Eric served as the city's highest paid part-time Special Assistant to ex-Cleveland Mayor Michael R. White. He served as Chief of Staff to ex-East Cleveland Mayor Emmanuel Onunwor; and Chief of Communications to the late George James in his capacity as the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority's first Black executive director. Eric was appointed to serve as a member of the state's Financial Planning & Supervision Commission to guide the East Cleveland school district out of fiscal emergency and $20 million deficit. Former U.S. HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson told Eric in his D.C. office he was the only mayor in the nation simultaneously-managing a municipal block grant program. Eric wrote the city's $2.2 million Neighborhood Stabilization Program grant application. A HUD Inspector General audit of his management of the block grant program resulted in "zero" audit findings.

As a newspaper publisher, Eric has used his insider's detailed knowledge of government and his publications to lead the FBI and state prosecutors to investigations that resulted in criminal prosecutions of well-known elected officials in Ohio; and have helped realign Cleveland's political landscape with the defeat of candidates and issues he's exposed. Eric's stories led to the indictments of the late Governor George Voinovich's brother, Paul Voinovich of the V Group, and four associates. He asked the FBI to investigate the mayor he'd served as chief of staff for public corruption; and testified in three federal trials for the prosecution. He forced former Cuyahoga County Coroner Dr. Elizabeth Balraj to admit her investigations of police killings were fraudulent; and to issue notices to local police that her investigators would control police killing investigations. Eric's current work has resulted in Cuyahoga County Judge John Russo accepting the criminal complaint he guided an activist to file against 24 civil rights-violating police officers in the city he once led for operating without valid peace officer credentials. USA Today reporters picked up on Eric's police credentials reporting from his social media page and made it national.

Eric is the author of of his first book, "Fight Police License Plate Spying," which examines the FBI and local police misuse of the National Crime Information Center criminal records history database. An accomplished trumpet player and singer whose friendship with Duke Fakir of the Four Tops resulted in his singing the show's closing song, "Can't Help Myself": Curtis Sliwa of New York's Guardian Angels counts Eric among his founding chapter leaders from the early 1980's role as an Ohio organizer of over 300 volunteer crime fighters in Cleveland, Columbus and Youngstown, Ohio. For his work as a young man Eric was recognized by Cleveland's Urban League as it's 1983 Young Man of the Year.

Known in Cleveland for his encyclopedic knowledge of government and history, and intimately-connected with the region's players, every local major media outlet in Cleveland has picked up on one of Eric's stories since 1979. There is no mainstream newspaper, television or radio outlet in Cleveland that does not include an interview with Eric Jonathan Brewer in its archives over the past 40 years.

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