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Tom Meyer - The Investigator Archive

Investigator: Money for needy veterans goes unused

4:38 PM, Feb 16, 2012

It's the job of the Cuyahoga County Veterans Service Commission to assist veterans in need. 

Investigator: Ohio Inspector General under fire

8:02 PM, Feb 14, 2012

Is the state Inspector General a watchdog or Republican lapdog?

Investigator: List rates 15 Ohio nursing homes as bad

7:56 PM, Feb 10, 2012

They are among the worst-rated nursing homes in the country -- and they have been like that for the last three years.

Investigator: List of dishwashers that caught fire

5:36 PM, Feb 7, 2012

Channel 3 News has combed through the lawsuit to identify the models that caught on fire.

Investigator: Latest dishwasher fire suspected in Geauga

11:01 AM, Feb 7, 2012

It's an everyday appliance, but investigators now suspect that a dishwasher is the cause of an extraordinary fire

Investigator: Nuns plan to tackle Super Bowl sex traffickers

12:49 AM, Feb 3, 2012

The Giants and Patriots aren't the only ones preparing for battle this Super Bowl Sunday.

Investigator: Safe water found at Wellington gas spill

8:15 PM, Jan 30, 2012

Water tested near homes in the Lorain County community of Wellington was found to be safe.

Investigator: Abusive nursing aide jailed

8:16 PM, Jan 26, 2012

Maria Karban was once named nurse's aide of the year at MetroHealth's nursing home. But, she's now a convicted criminal headed to jail for six months.

Cost to fix fire department payroll abuses around $1M

7:53 PM, Jan 25, 2012

A city audit sounded the alarm on payroll abuses at the Cleveland Fire Department. Now, we're learning how much it's going to cost us to fix the system that let it happen.

Investigator: State fines Dominion $500,000

8:20 PM, Jan 24, 2012

The "number and severity  of the violations" led the state to issue the fines one year after a gas explosion ripped apart Fairport Harbor.

Investigator: 15-year-old saved from sex ring

12:53 AM, Jan 21, 2012

It was a one-way bus ticket into Northeast Ohio's sex trade.

Investigator: Cleveland's underground sex industry

10:48 AM, Jan 17, 2012

They called it the "boom boom room," an open area in a basement where girls were forced to engage in unprotected sex

Investigator: Judge sends abusive nurse's aide to prison

8:13 PM, Jan 9, 2012

If it wasn't for a hidden camera, we may have never known about the abuse Esther Piskor suffered.

Investigator: Mortgage fraud ringleaders get long sentences

7:37 PM, Jan 5, 2012

A federal judge today sentenced two major players in one of the country's largest mortgage fraud schemes to lengthy prison terms.

Investigator: Dimora uses sexist, racist slurs on wiretaps

7:48 AM, Jan 5, 2012

FBI has video of Dimora on 2008 Las Vegas trip that prosecutors say was paid for by corrupt contractors.

Investigator: Feds record Dimora talking to U.S. judge

7:07 AM, Jan 5, 2012

A secretly-recorded conversation between a U.S District Court judge in Cleveland and Jimmy Dimora

The Investigator: A look back at 2011

4:59 PM, Dec 29, 2011

It was another busy year for the Channel 3 News investigative team.

Investigator: Nurse's aide admits abuse at MetroHealth

7:18 PM, Dec 22, 2011

A one-time Nurse's Aide of the Year at a county-funded nursing home admitted to assaulting a 78-year-old resident

Sheriff: Accident led to Amish girl's death

7:37 PM, Dec 20, 2011

An Ohio sheriff says a man cleaning his muzzle-loading rifle accidentally shot and killed a 15-year-old Amish girl driving a horse-drawn buggy more than a mile away.

Panel orders former deputy auditor's relatives rehired

7:46 PM, Dec 16, 2011

A state panel is "ordering" Cuyahoga County to re-hire two relatives of a former deputy auditor.

Investigator: Lawmaker seeks probe on grant spending

7:54 AM, Dec 14, 2011

A Democratic state senator is asking the state Department of Development to investigate allegations of misspending at a non-profit agency that uses state grants to help low income residents with heating bills.

Investigator: Inspector General finds Head Start hazards

12:53 AM, Dec 14, 2011

Head Start pre-schoolers were exposed to all kinds of hazards including toxic chemicals, an unattended machete, and unsafe playground equipment, according to the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Investigator: Fire, police big earners in city overtime

1:00 AM, Dec 9, 2011

City auditors may have pulled the alarm on payroll abuses at the Cleveland firefighters, but Channel 3 News found that the department's top brass are among those who collected the biggest overtime pay.

Investigator: Judge seals records in Orange bomb threat

6:01 PM, Dec 7, 2011

County judge sealed results of FBI search warrant at home of a "juvenile suspect" in Orange High School bomb threats.

Investigator: City Hall, firefighters meet over payroll abuses

2:33 PM, Dec 7, 2011

Cleveland city safety brass and firefighter officials meeting Wednesday to discuss the city's new payroll policy

Investigator: Friend says Orange student "wrongly accused"

8:02 PM, Dec 6, 2011

Friend of the boy whose home was searched today by FBI says the boy had "zero involvement" in bomb threats at Orange

Investigator: County council members call for spending probe

12:41 AM, Dec 2, 2011

Cuyahoga County members calling for county's inspector general to investigate questionable spending by non-profit agency

Investigator: Councilman calls for heads to roll

7:53 PM, Dec 1, 2011

Cleveland City Councilman Jeff Johnson says he has heard from insiders in the city's fire department

Investigator: Council grills safety leaders on audit findings

8:28 PM, Nov 30, 2011

Council members grilled top safety brass at a committee meeting about an audit

Investigator: State senator questioned under oath about her residency

12:43 AM, Nov 30, 2011

State Senator Shirley Smith testified that Channel 3 News hidden cameras caught her living outside of her district

Investigator: Nurse's aide faces 10 years for patient abuse

9:06 PM, Nov 28, 2011

A former MetroHealth Medical Center nurse's aide faces more than seven years in prison

Investigator: Head Start agency head questioned on credit card

10:00 AM, Nov 24, 2011

Investigator Tom Meyer questions how the head of Head Start got to use the company credit card.

FBI makes more 'Amish attacks' arrests, including clan leader

9:39 PM, Nov 23, 2011

FBI made more arrests at the Bergholz Clan's compound in the Amish attacks in Holmes County

Investigator: Watch video of alleged police beating

6:16 PM, Nov 23, 2011

Aerial video footage obtained by Channel 3 News appears to show an officer kicking a man who is lying on the ground

Investigator: Head Start racks up big tab on travel, spending

11:35 AM, Nov 23, 2011

Top executives at a non-profit agency are rolling up big tabs on travel and other items.

Investigator: Who allowed unearned firefighter pay?

6:18 PM, Nov 22, 2011

A second audit is underway to determine which supervisers may have allowed Cleveland firefighters to get paid for hours they never worked

Investigator: Cabbies gone wild?

12:14 PM, Nov 17, 2011

Dozens of local cabbies have moving violations on their driving records.

Investigator: Six out of 10 trucks found unsafe

4:38 AM, Nov 16, 2011

Truck driver Steve Berardinelli had to quit his job because he was afraid he was going to kill someone or himself

Investigator: Sandusky wanted kids to "trust" him

10:17 PM, Nov 14, 2011

The head of the foundation started by former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky resigned Monday

Investigator: Paterno, others may still face charges

8:27 PM, Nov 11, 2011

The charges against a former assistant coach and two Penn State University officials have shocked the nation

Investigator: Many dropped ball in Sandusky case

7:44 PM, Nov 10, 2011

Uproar over former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky's arrest has centered on what head coach Joe Paterno did and didn't do.

Investigator: Workers' Comp shortchanging workers, employers?

12:52 AM, Nov 8, 2011

The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation routinely goes after injured workers who try to cheat the system.

Metroparks: Public indecency arrests increasing

8:28 PM, Nov 7, 2011

Man who once headed up the Cleveland Metroparks was caught there allegedly exposing himself on Friday

Feds: More charges possible for Jimmy Dimora

7:01 PM, Nov 4, 2011

U.S. attorneys say they expect more indictments soon against Jimmy Dimora or Michael Forlani or both.

Investigator: Is your home health aide a criminal?

1:21 PM, Nov 1, 2011

Channel 3 News investigation found that you need to closely examine the backgrounds of home health aides

Investigator: Abusive nurses' aides revealed; search list

9:58 AM, Oct 28, 2011

They were found to have done everything from raping nursing home residents to stealing their diamond rings to spitting in their face.

Dimora, businessman charged in latest corruption

10:38 AM, Oct 21, 2011

Former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Dimora charged in another corruption scheme, involving head of electrical contracting firm

Investigator: Channel 3 probe prompts sweeping safety changes

1:18 AM, Oct 11, 2011

As a result of a Channel 3 News investigation, Cleveland City Hall is making what it calls significant and sweeping changes

Investigator: State takes over 7 charter schools

6:57 PM, Oct 4, 2011

The Ohio Department of Education is taking over seven local charter schools after yanking their sponsor.

Investigator: Family says police might have stopped ax attack

11:47 PM, Oct 3, 2011

The family of Milka Simonoski says her attack might have been avoided had police done more

Investigator: Feds fine nursing home following abuse

5:42 PM, Sep 30, 2011

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services fined the Prentiss Center for Skilled Nursing Care at MetroHealth $357,000

County elections board puts senator on hot seat

8:00 PM, Sep 29, 2011

County elections board today voted to ask state Sen. Shirley Smith to appear and testify as to where she lives

Investigator: Elections board to discuss senator's residency

6:44 PM, Sep 27, 2011

State Senator Shirley Smith's residency is expected to be discussed by Cuyahoga County Board of Elections

Investigator: Is veteran legislator violating the law?

6:52 AM, Sep 27, 2011

State lawmakers are supposed to live in the district they represent.  It's the law.

Investigator: Rangers cracking down on public indecency

11:44 PM, Sep 19, 2011

Rangers in the Cleveland Metroparks consider it their number one priority and arrest records back up their claim.

Feds: Amish fund manager accused of defrauding investors

7:00 PM, Sep 15, 2011

Federal prosecutors are accusing an Amish man of defrauding thousands of investors out of a combined $16.8 million, according to a grand jury indictment.

Investigator: Security risks endangering preschoolers?

11:56 PM, Sep 14, 2011

A Channel 3 News hidden-camera investigation has exposed a potential security breach at a government-funded preschool program.

Investigator: Victim of alleged police beating cuts deal

4:17 PM, Sep 13, 2011

Edward Henderson decided to plead guilty to assault and fleeing a police officer in a New Year's Day incident

Investigator Update: Restoring peace in Ohio City neighborhood

5:50 PM, Sep 6, 2011

Channel 3 News is working hard to restore peace to a noisy Cleveland neighborhood and we're getting results.

Investigator: Running feud pits neighbors against business

11:54 PM, Sep 5, 2011

Ongoing feud between residents of a high-end development and the owner of renowned sausage company

Investigator: Russo accused of running office like the Mob

11:47 PM, Sep 1, 2011

One of Frank Russo's former employees is accusing the corrupt politician of acting like the Godfather

Investigator: Was brain-damaged woman raped at nursing home?

9:03 AM, Aug 26, 2011

Police are investigating alleged sexual assault incident at Oakwood Village nursing home

Investigator: Internal MetroHealth memo sparks controversy

6:53 PM, Aug 22, 2011

Is an internal memo obtained by Channel 3 News designed to discourage MetroHealth employees from discussing what's happening behind closed doors?

Investigator: Animal House in state's dog house

11:57 PM, Aug 19, 2011

State and local authorities are cracking down on an animal clinic following a Channel 3 News hidden camera investigation into an unlicensed employee operating on animals.

Investigator: County cracks down on unpaid tickets

3:49 PM, Aug 18, 2011

Cuyahoga County Executive Ed Fitzgerald says taxpayers will no longer foot the bill for county employees who are cited for parking and traffic violations while driving county vehicles.

Investigator: Young professional accuses cops of harassment, intimidation

3:11 PM, Aug 17, 2011

Two undercover Cleveland cops accused of harassing, intimidating young business professional downtown

Investigator: Priest's killer says confession a 'lie'

2:43 PM, Aug 16, 2011

A former Catholic brother who pleaded guilty to killing a priest in 2002 says his initial confession was coerced by Cleveland police.

Investigator: Taxpayers pay for others getting locked out

10:39 PM, Aug 8, 2011

Fire Department spent more than $400,000 in last year and a half to get people into their cars or homes after being locked out

Cleveland: Nursing home aides plead not guilty

8:25 PM, Aug 8, 2011

Two nurses' aides appeared in court Monday on charges they abused an Alzheimer's patient in their care.

Federal lawsuit filed against Cleveland officers

6:11 PM, Aug 8, 2011

A lawsuit has been filed by a man who claims police used excessive force on him. It's a story first reported by The Investigator Tom Meyer.

Investigator: School discussing options for teen sex offender

6:50 PM, Aug 2, 2011

Back in June, The Investigator, Tom Meyer, reported on juvenile, convicted sex offenders attending local high schools.

Investigator: Nursing abuse victim reaches deal on move

7:18 PM, Jul 29, 2011

Nursing home resident whose abuse by nursing aides was caught by hidden camera can stay at county-run facility for now

Investigator: Court fight over moving elderly abuse victim

7:21 PM, Jul 26, 2011

MetroHealth wants her out. The family wants her to stay put.  

Investigator: MetroHealth kicking out abuse victim

11:51 PM, Jul 25, 2011

MetroHealth's nursing home is giving the boot to a 78-year-old resident whose son installed a hidden camera

Investigator: High bacteria levels found in ice cream

3:27 PM, Jul 19, 2011

A Channel 3 News investigation got the scoop on soft serve ice cream sold locally. The news is both good and bad.

Investigator: Suspected rapists escape prosecution

11:46 PM, Jul 11, 2011

Former susuburban police chief and Cleveland Rape Crisis consultant estimates thousands of accused rapists have walked away scot-free.

Investigator: Critics say cops misfire on training

6:49 PM, Jul 5, 2011

The early Monday shooting of a suspect by Cleveland police is at least the sixth shooting since the beginning of the year

Investigator: 'Granny cams' used to capture elder abuse

6:06 PM, Jul 5, 2011

A hidden camera reveals nurses' aides' treatment of patient.

Investigator: Ohio Attorney General opens nursing abuse investigation

3:27 PM, Jun 30, 2011

Steve Piskor says investigators from the Ohio Attorney General's Office will be interviewing him about the abuse of his mother caught on hidden camera at MetroHealth's nursing home.

Investigator: Nurse's aide says abuse complaints ignored

10:41 AM, Jun 29, 2011

An employee at MetroHealth's nursing home said she reported potential patient abuse, but her complaints were repeatedly ignored by the facility's administrators.

Investigator: Hidden camera catches nursing home abuse

12:16 PM, Jun 28, 2011

The video footage, obtained exclusively by Channel 3, has prompted both criminal and regulatory investigations.

Investigator: Makeover for airport boss's office; public repairs as well

9:04 PM, Jun 23, 2011

We have seen some reaction our story Wednesday night about airport renovations.

Lawsuit: Union tells cops to "lie" about beatings

8:40 PM, Jun 20, 2011

Lawsuit filed today claims Cleveland police use excessive force on suspects and then "routinely lie" about their conduct

Investigator: Vet board investigates animal clinic

7:35 PM, Jun 14, 2011

The Ohio Vet Board says it is opening a formal investigation following a Channel 3 News report.

Investigator: Officer involved in 2nd excessive force case

7:24 PM, Jun 10, 2011

He's one of four Cleveland police officers under federal investigation on allegations of police brutality on New Years Day

Plan in place to protect students from sex offender

2:10 AM, Jun 8, 2011

A high school student, who's been convicted of a sex offense,  cannot come in contact with any of the girls he's been accused of attacking.

Investigator: High school sex offender faces 3rd rape charge

4:27 PM, Jun 7, 2011

Student still walking the halls as he awaits trial on his third rape charge.

Downtown Cleveland shooting outside controversial nightclub

8:30 PM, Jun 3, 2011

Argument inside Club Allure on Public Square turned ugly and resulted in three people being gunned down outside.

Akron: Jury selected in Cuyahoga judge's trial

8:06 PM, Jun 2, 2011

It only took a day to pick a jury in the public corruption trial of Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Steven Terry

Investigator: City Hall takes action on Channel 3 hidden hazards probe

8:45 PM, Jun 1, 2011

Top officials of Cleveland Public Power went before city council to present a written plan for exposing the hidden hazards Channel 3 News found on local sidewalks.

Investigator: Big money for reporting fraud

10:34 AM, Jun 1, 2011

They risk everything to protect your tax dollars from abuse, fraud and waste. Now, Ohio wants you to get in on the act.

Investigator: Man fooled dozens with Tiger Woods 'deal'

3:43 PM, May 24, 2011

To those who know him, Michael Segal is a lawyer, a financial adviser to NFL players or an investment manager.

Dimora trial delayed until January

3:37 PM, May 23, 2011

Federal Judge Sara Lioi has granted a delay in the public corruption trial of Jimmy Dimora until January 4, 2012.

Investigator: Do juvenile sex offenders attend your school?

3:47 PM, May 19, 2011

More than 130 juvenile sex offenders live in Cuyahoga County and you don't know which schools they attend.

Cleveland City Hall alarmed by hidden hazards on streets

11:32 AM, May 18, 2011

Cleveland City Councilman Mike Polensak said there's nothing more important than the health and safety of the public

Cleveland: Councilman demands answers about hidden hazards

6:39 PM, May 10, 2011

Cleveland public utilities committee head says he had no idea of the hidden electrical hazards until Channel 3 reported them

Exclusive: Potentially deadly electrical charges found on city streets

2:58 PM, May 10, 2011

You need to be careful where you walk and what you touch outdoors.

Retired, dying cop says granddaughter 'scammed' him

10:05 AM, May 3, 2011

Former Cleveland police officer Leo Hayes says he was wiped out financially by his own granddaughter

NE Ohio: Faulty foreclosures are widespread

11:40 PM, Apr 25, 2011

Clevelander Jennifer Simmons is experiencing a foreclosure mess that one expert says happens with disturbing regularity.

Cleveland: Four charged in kidnapping for ransom

6:45 PM, Apr 19, 2011

An autopsy was done today on a man fatally shot by Cleveland police during a kidnapping investigation.

Cleveland: Calif. bomb suspect in court Wednesday

8:14 PM, Apr 12, 2011

Homeless man suspected of bombing a synagogue in Santa Monica faces a federal judge in Cleveland Wednesday.

Investigator: Wedding photog 'a scam artist'

12:36 PM, Apr 12, 2011

She was supposed to capture their happiest moments, but brides say their wedding photog robbed them of their memories

Former CSU cashier admits pocketing $173,000

8:02 PM, Apr 11, 2011

Former CSU cashier will be sentenced Friday on charges she stole $173,000 from the university.

Jimmy Dimora pleads not guilty to new charges

6:50 PM, Apr 7, 2011

Former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora pleaded not guilty to new federal charges in Akron Thursday.

Investigator: Aging gas pipes pose danger in NE Ohio

1:11 PM, Apr 5, 2011

Thousands of miles of gas pipelines in northeast Ohio are 60 years or older

Akron: Wiretap conversations released after McCafferty conviction

10:35 PM, Mar 30, 2011

Judge orders release of wire-tapped phone calls from former Judge Bridget McCafferty's trial

Investigator: I-90 project called 'highway robbery'

1:35 AM, Mar 29, 2011

A suburb is charging some property owners big bucks to pay for a freeway ramp that'll benefit developers.

Exclusive: Woodmere officers under investigation

7:51 PM, Mar 21, 2011

A police lieutenant has been fired and three other officers in Woodmere Village have been placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of a county investigation.

Investigator: Cleveland officers charged in alleged beating

8:02 PM, Mar 18, 2011

Investigator: Cleveland officers charged in alleged beating

Investigator: Domestic abuse call not investigated

5:18 AM, Mar 8, 2011

U.S. Marshals Service never looked into abuse allegations involving a deputy working in Cleveland.

Investigator: Judge nixes release of alleged police beating tape

11:44 AM, Mar 3, 2011

A judge has ordered the release of a police video that a Cleveland Heights man says will show him beaten by police, but she barred its release to the public.

Investigator Exclusive: Contaminated beer found at popular pubs

5:10 PM, Mar 1, 2011

Contaminated beer -- is it a concern at your favorite bar?

Investigator Exclusive: Inspectors crack down on unsafe tanning facilities

3:32 PM, Feb 22, 2011

Clevelanders will be soaking up that summer sun soon, but if you're like 30 million other people, you are tanning indoors, despite serious health risks.

Investigator Exclusive: Plenty of places to find Mr. Wrong

1:17 AM, Feb 15, 2011

The Investigator Tom Meyer offers some tips to help ward off potential heartbreak down the line.

Investigator Exclusive: Elderly dentist says age not a factor in teen death

4:57 PM, Feb 8, 2011

LORAIN -- Dr. Henry Mazorow, 81, says his age did not play a factor in the death of a 13-year-old dental patient. Marissa Kingery went to Mazorow to have an impacted tooth surgically exposed and to have two baby teeth extracted. She fell into a coma and died last month.

Investigator Exclusive: Cleveland man compares alleged beating to Rodney King's

11:37 AM, Feb 7, 2011

CLEVELAND -- Edward Henderson said he was handcuffed when Cleveland police beat him brutally, forcing him to be hospitalized for three days.

Investigator Exclusive: Family sues when mom dies after undisclosed fall at nursing home

5:31 AM, Feb 1, 2011

CLEVELAND -- A family is suing a West Side nursing home, saying they were never told their mother had fallen 17 times in 16 months, including the last fall, which the coroner said contributed to her death.

Investigator Exclusive: Safety violations at local food suppliers

4:37 PM, Jan 25, 2011

The Investigator Tom Meyer takes a look at some of the violations recorded at food distributors and wholesalers in the Greater Cleveland area.

Investigator Exclusive: Police cleared of wrongdoing following erotic golf outing

3:03 PM, Jan 18, 2011

PARMA -- A civilian review board cleared police of any wrongdoing after reviewing an internal police probe into a golf outing that featured sexually explicit activity.

Investigator Exclusive: Internal affairs investigate alleged beating of Cleveland man

6:55 PM, Jan 12, 2011

CLEVELAND -- A police helicopter has video of what one police officer described as a needless beating of a suspect trying to elude police.

Investigator Exclusive: Angry flood victim latest to criticize Cleveland water department

10:59 AM, Jan 11, 2011

CLEVELAND -- Evelyn Pembroke was away on vacation when a water main broke last June, sending water gushing into her home.

Investigator Exclusive: Teenager sold for sex at Cleveland Starbucks

5:01 PM, Jan 6, 2011

CLEVELAND -- A Cleveland man has been arrested for selling a 16-year-old girl for sex at a downtown coffee shop.

Investigator Exclusive: Attorneys say new photos prove man didn't kill baby

12:47 AM, Jan 4, 2011

EUCLID -- A national legal group is asking outgoing Gov. Ted Strickland to free a man who was convicted nearly 12 years ago for murdering his 12-day-old daughter, based on new evidence the group says proves he was innocent -- a contention prosecutors deny.

Investigator Exclusive: A look back at 2010

9:28 AM, Jan 1, 2011

CLEVELAND -- Corruption. Consumer fraud. Police wrongdoing.  Government waste. These are only a few of the subjects that kept the Investigator Tom Meyer busy in 2010.

Investigator: A bumper crop of corruption busts

12:47 AM, Dec 31, 2010

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- It was a banner year for corruption busting, starting with former Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo and capping off with County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora's indictment. And don't forget the guilty plea by former eight-term County Sheriff Gerald McFaul.

Investigator Exclusive: Lawsuit claims taser left Painesville man brain-damaged

9:37 PM, Dec 22, 2010

PAINESVILLE -- A lawsuit field in federal court says a Painesville man was tasered by police for 21 seconds, or 16 seconds longer than the manufacturer's recommendation.

Investigator Exclusive: No follow-up in abuse case

7:46 PM, Dec 21, 2010

CLEVELAND -- The county caseworker assigned to oversee the Cleveland woman arrested for endangering her three adopted children never followed up after failing to reach her three times in October, a Department of Children and Family Services spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Investigator: Controversy over Lakewood school dress code

8:40 PM, Dec 16, 2010

LAKEWOOD -- Lakewood High School refuses to allow an injured student to wear sweatpants to school as ordered by her family doctor.

Frank Russo sentenced to prison

8:19 PM, Dec 15, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Former Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo has been sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison on corruption related crimes. But as the Investigator Tom Meyer was first to report, Russo is now willing to cooperate with proescutors.

Investigator Exclusive: Parents shocked license renewed at daycare where felon worked

8:35 PM, Dec 9, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Parents whose children attend the Happyworks Daycare in Cleveland were both surprised and shocked that the state renewed its license after learning it failed to request a background check on a convicted felon.

Investigator: Tempers flare over alleged W. 6th racial incident

6:50 PM, Dec 6, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Cleveland police and City Councilman Jeff Johnson exchanged angry words after a young, black investment banker apologized to a Cleveland police officer, who was accused of being a racist.

Investigator Exclusive: Judge says no apology, no deal to Morehouse grad

7:42 PM, Dec 3, 2010

CLEVELAND -- He refused to apologize for saying his arrest outside one of Cleveland's hottest night club was racially motivated. Now, a municipal court judge today said that, if there's no "I'm sorry," there's no deal to avoid a criminal record.

Investigator: Ohio lawmakers move to fight modern day slavery

1:34 PM, Dec 2, 2010

COLUMBUS -- The Ohio Legislature is a step closer to combatting a growing and profitable industry called 'human trafficking' in which children and adults are being forced into prostitution and hard labor through violence.

Investigator Exclusive: State renews license of day care where mentally ill felon worked

7:31 PM, Dec 1, 2010

CLEVELAND  -- A state lawmaker says it's "outrageous" that the state renewed the license of a day care that failed to conduct a background check on an employee who police said was armed to the teeth during a standoff last June and had two guns in his apartment above the day care.

Investigator: Cop upset arrested Morehouse grad won't apologize for claiming racism

6:21 PM, Nov 29, 2010

CLEVELAND -- The Morehouse College graduate whose arrest rekindled accusations of racism in one of the Cleveland's hottest night spots struck a deal with prosecutors today that allows him to potentially avoid a criminal record.

Investigator Exclusive: Anti-government 'sovereign citizens' on the rise in Ohio

1:22 PM, Nov 25, 2010

Frustrated by the financial crisis, an increasing number of frustrated Ohioans are turning to an anti-government group that prosecutors and civil rights groups consider one of the most extreme groups in the country, the Investigator Tom Meyer found.

Investigator: Anti-bullying website aims to help victims

11:36 AM, Nov 24, 2010

CLEVELAND -- A new anti-bullying, anti-harassment website called Quibber wants to help the millions of people throughout the country who are victims of bullying and harassment.

Investigator Exclusive: Youth worker charged with raping teen

6:34 PM, Nov 23, 2010

BROOKLYN -- An HIV-positive man who worked with troubled teens at a Cleveland residential treatment center is charged with raping a 17-year-old boy who was once a patient at the center, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor spokesman Ryan Miday said.

Investigator: Key witness in Cuyahoga corruption investigation dies

7:34 PM, Nov 22, 2010

CLEVELAND -- A key witness in the federal corruption case against Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora died Sunday night.

Investigator Exclusive: Cracking down on classroom bullies

11:24 AM, Nov 19, 2010

NORTHEAST OHIO -- A Channel 3 News investigation found that Euclid City Schools and Maple Heights City Schools topped the lists for schools which discipline bullies most often.

Investigator Exclusive: Cuyahoga Sheriff orders random searches of everyone

9:26 PM, Nov 17, 2010

CLEVELAND -- In an effort to improve building security and safety, Cuyahoga County Sheriff Bob Reid ordered random checks of all employees and people doing business at 10 county buildings today, including the Justice Center.

Investigator Exclusive: Majority of callers unhappy with Mayor's Action Center

4:57 PM, Nov 10, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Vicious dogs. Chuckholes. Outrageous water bills. These are only a few of the reasons Clevelanders dial Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson's Action Center.

Investigator Exclusive: Cities pay out millions for incentives, unused benefits

10:55 AM, Nov 4, 2010

At the same time they were cutting programs and raising taxes, school districts and cities in Cuyahoga County have paid out more than $63 million to retiring employees in the last three years for early retirement bonuses and unused benefits, public records show.

Investigator Exclusive: Charities spend millions dumping trash 'donations'

10:59 AM, Oct 29, 2010

CLEVELAND -- A Salvation Army bin in Solon says "clothing only," but the sign is frequently ignored as donors drop off everything from urine-soaked mattresses to old, beat-up paint buckets.

Investigator Exclusive: Sanctions expected following Parma police golf outing

10:39 AM, Oct 8, 2010

PARMA -- City Safety Director Greg Baeppler said that he expects sanctions to be issued following a controversial police golf outing over the Labor Day weekend at the city-owned Ridgewood golf course.

Investigator Exclusive: Counter-terrorism operation in Cleveland gets makeover

10:28 AM, Oct 6, 2010

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- A big-budget, little-known counter-terrorism program in Cleveland is getting overhauled, following an exclusive Tom Meyer investigation.

Investigator: Good turnout for West Sixth racial bias training

5:52 PM, Sep 30, 2010

CLEVELAND -- More than 100 individuals turned out for the first racial sensitivity training session spearheaded by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and the U.S. Attorney's office.

Investigator Exclusive: Taxpayer corruption tab $35 million

10:43 AM, Sep 30, 2010

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- The widespread corruption uncovered by federal prosecutors, who have charged 43 defendants in the ongoing Cuyahoga County probe, has cost taxpayers about $35 million so far, a Channel 3 News investigation has found.

The Investigator: Highest paid Cuyahoga County Auditor's office worker under scrutiny

11:24 PM, Sep 28, 2010

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- The new interim county auditor met his highest paid employee this week and says her position, along with others in the auditor's office, are being evaluated.

Investigator Exclusive: State threatens to pull plug on charter school sponsor

4:21 PM, Sep 20, 2010

CLEVELAND -- The Ohio Department of Education has informed Ashe Culture Center that it intends to revoke its sponsorship of nine charter schools by October 1, unless it shows it can correct numerous deficiencies.

Investigator: Three more Cuyahoga County judges show up in indictments

10:46 AM, Sep 17, 2010

CUYAHOGA COUNTY --  Three other county judges are coming under scrutiny today after they were mentioned in the bombshell federal indictments announced Wednesday that accused County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora and two Common Pleas Court judges of corrupt activity.

Investigator: Jimmy Dimora's sexual appetite drove deals

12:13 PM, Sep 16, 2010

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- In a federal indictment that contains a laundry list of one corrupt deal after another involving County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, perhaps the most shocking allegations involve the frequency in which he traded influence for sex.

Investigator: Prosecutors must now convince jurors Dimora's guilty

7:46 PM, Sep 15, 2010

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Now that federal prosecutors have charged County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora today with 26-counts of corruption-related activities, their next task is to make sure they can convince jurors to convict the powerful Democrat.

Investigator Exclusive: Police golf outing tees up strippers, booze

4:42 AM, Sep 15, 2010

PARMA -- For $90, golfers in a tournament arranged by a Parma police officer got quite the deal -- 18 holes of golf, a steak dinner and all the booze they could guzzle. For a little extra, they could even bury their heads in the bare chests of beautiful women.

Investigator: Business owners positive about mayor's West Sixth meeting

7:27 PM, Sep 14, 2010

CLEVELAND -- About two dozen owners of nightclubs and restaurants on West Sixth in Cleveland left an hour-and-a-half-long meeting with Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson feeling good about the city's effort to ease tension in the popular entertainment district.

Investigator: Red flags on Frank Russo 12 years ago

8:09 AM, Sep 11, 2010

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- How brazen was Frank Russo's corruption? Federal authorities say the former Cuyahoga County auditor was negotiating bribes and kickbacks in early 1998, or about nine months before Russo was charged with dereliction of duty for the way he ran his office.

Investigator: Evidence against Russo was piling up

3:20 PM, Sep 10, 2010

CLEVELAND -- A top aide says former Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo cut a deal with federal prosecutors to make it easier on his family, but charges filed today in U.S. District Court make it clear there was enough evidence to send Russo away for a lot longer if he went to trial.

Investigator: Frank Russo resignation driven by desire to help son

7:12 PM, Sep 9, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Frank Russo's top aide confirmed that the auditor resigned today because the public corruption probe was too stressful on his family, especially his son Vince. Read Russo's 58-page indictment (pdf)

Investigator: Black leaders demand action from mayor on W. 6th racism claims

8:04 PM, Sep 2, 2010

CLEVELAND -- A group of black leaders led by the Cleveland NAACP called on Mayor Frank Jackson, the Cleveland police department, and nightclub owners and staff to end racial bias in the city's warehouse district.

Investigator: Arrest of Morehouse grads rekindles racism accusations

6:41 PM, Sep 1, 2010

CLEVELAND -- The arrest of two black men at a Warehouse District bar is rekindling accusations of racism in one of the city's hottest night spots.

Investigator: Sowell relative alleges harassment

6:04 PM, Aug 31, 2010

CLEVELAND -- When police charged Anthony Sowell with murdering 11 women last year, it provided closure for the victims. It also opened the Sowell family name to ridicule.

Investigator Exclusive: Seven accused of raping college student

11:42 AM, Aug 23, 2010

MAPLE HEIGHTS -- Seven men accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a college student while her friend and a dozen others continued to party in another room were charged Friday with rape and kidnapping, prosecutors said.

Investigator Exclusive: AG sues bar owing $49,000 for smoking violations

6:10 AM, Aug 19, 2010

MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS -- The state Attorney General's Office filed a lawsuit against the Suburban Inn, a shot-and-a-beer bar that officials claim is routinely exposing customers and workers to deadly second-hand smoke.

Investigator Exclusive: Cleveland's top 10 grocery store violators

9:49 AM, Aug 17, 2010

CLEVELAND -- The City of Cleveland is cracking down on grocery stores that sell unsafe food. A new program called "Operation Wholesomeness" includes the random testing of food items that look suspect.

Exclusive: Food sting finds tainted meat, rotten groceries

1:19 PM, Aug 15, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Health inspectors have issued more than 100 violations to grocery stores -- for everything from offering ground meat with dangerously high bacteria to not having hot water -- as part of a new surprise inspection program.

Investigator Exclusive: SEC investigating Amish investment fund

3:55 PM, Aug 11, 2010

SUGARCREEK -- The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether a trusted member of Ohio's Amish community misused that trust and left thousands of Amish and Mennonite investors with losses totaling in the millions.

Investigator: Former prosecutor calls city 'reckless' for not disciplining EMS/paramedic

10:36 AM, Aug 6, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Were patients transported by Cleveland EMS put at risk unnecessarily?

Investigator: Ohio AG sues driving school to recover refunds

3:54 PM, Aug 5, 2010

AKRON -- The state Attorney General today sued a local driving school for failing to provide lessons to hundreds of area students who paid their tuition.

Cuyahoga County: Auditor Russo critical of state audit

7:30 PM, Aug 3, 2010

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- State Auditor Mary Taylor today released the performance audit of the Cuyahoga County Auditor's Office, describing it as a bureaucracy that is "overstaffed, overpaid and less efficient" than similar offices in comparable counties.

Investigator Exclusive: Water shortage may impact Cleveland grocery prices

10:34 AM, Aug 3, 2010

WAYNE COUNTY -- A rural village shut down a new $2 million water plant last week after nearby farmers, many of whom sell their products in the Cleveland area, complained that the facility was sucking up too much underground water and leaving their wells dry.

Investigator Exclusive: Pet owners complain vet board has no bite

1:20 PM, Jul 28, 2010

COLUMBUS -- The state board that regulates Ohio veterinarians has issued disciplinary orders only eight times in the last three years, despite receiving 435 complaints of substandard care of animals, records show.

Investigator Exclusive: W. 6th assault victim blames police for allowing attack to escalate

6:46 PM, Jul 27, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Channel 3 News exclusive video doesn't begin to tell the whole story of a vicious attack in the Warehouse District late Friday night, according to Dustin Passalacqua.

Investigator: Feds to train nightclub employees on racial discrimination

3:47 PM, Jul 27, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Following a meeting with the NAACP, Mayor Frank Jackson today said that federal prosecutors will provide racial discrimination training to owners and employees of nightclubs in the Warehouse District.

Investigator Exclusive: Club owner says records show city is racist

2:09 PM, Jul 24, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Politicians and business leaders have blamed a predominately black nightclub for the recent rowdiness in the Warehouse District, but city records show that police have responded more often to clubs that cater to whites.

Investigator Exclusive: Private meeting on alleged Warehouse District racism

10:35 AM, Jul 23, 2010

CLEVELAND -- The local chapter of the NAACP didn't wait for a meeting Monday with Mayor Frank Jackson to try to begin resolving concerns over allegations of racism in the Warehouse District.

Investigator Exclusive: Drug companies disclosing financial relationship with doctors

4:40 PM, Jul 21, 2010

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- It's a subject that many physicians don't like to discuss but, as patients, you may want to know how much the big drug makers are paying your doctor.

Investigator Exclusive: NAACP claims 'many' Warehouse District clubs discriminate against blacks

10:19 PM, Jul 20, 2010

CLEVELAND -- A day after alleging the city's trying to keep blacks out of the Warehouse District, NAACP President George Forbes today demanded a meeting with the mayor to discuss what he alleges is discrimination by many of the district's nightclub owners.

Investigator Exclusive: NAACP calls city's police response racist

10:15 PM, Jul 20, 2010

CLEVELAND -- NAACP President George Forbes today accused the city of using an organized police presence to discourage African-Americans from visiting one of the city's hottest entertainment districts.

Investigator Exclusive: Metal detectors not answer to hospital shootings

10:53 AM, Jul 17, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Three shootings at area hospitals in the last two weeks have renewed concerns about security, but officials say they are not about to turn their facilities into prisons equipped with metal detectors and security checkpoints.

Investigator Exclusive: Clothes dryer fires deadly and destructive

3:46 PM, Jul 14, 2010

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Fires that start in your home's clothes dryer have caused nearly $19 million in property damage in Ohio from 2000-2009.

Investigator Exclusive: 16 traffic violations in 2 years for Cavs' Hickson

11:23 AM, Jul 2, 2010

CLEVELAND -- A Channel 3 News investigation turns up 16 traffic violations in less than two years for Cleveland Cavaliers forward J.J. Hickson.

Investigator Exclusive: Fewer gas drilling inspections raise safety fears

3:54 PM, Jun 30, 2010

GATES MILLS -- More than 1,000 gallons of oil flowed into a stream here from a nearby oil and gas well owned by driller Pursie E. Pipes.

Investigator: Former Stark County official pleads guilty to stealing millions

10:47 AM, Jun 26, 2010

CANTON -- A former Stark County chief deputy treasurer pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to stealing more than $2.4 million in taxpayer money.

Investigator Exclusive: County employee under investigation for allegedly rigging property value

4:02 PM, Jun 23, 2010

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Channel 3 News has learned exclusively that Cuyahoga County employee Keith Headen was walked out the door at the county administration building yesterday on allegations he altered records to lower property taxes on a Mayfield Heights property.

Investigator Exclusive: Armed and mentally ill felon worked at daycare

3:36 PM, Jun 22, 2010

CLEVELAND - A Channel 3 News investigation has prompted the state to open an inquiry into why a mentally ill man with a felony record has been working at a West Side day care for almost a decade, a Channel 3 News investigation has found.

Investigator Exclusive: Money decided in strip-search lawsuit

12:17 PM, Jun 19, 2010

STARK COUNTY -- It was a story that captured the nation's attention. After more than three years, the Hope Steffey case is over and the victim isn't happy with how it ended.

Investigator Exclusive: Convicted killer's lawyer says authorities withheld evidence

10:48 AM, Jun 17, 2010

CLEVELAND -- An attorney for a man convicted of a 1994 fatal shooting claimed in a court filing today that authorities withheld key evidence before the trial that would have exonerated the man.

Investigator Exclusive: Cavs forward in 'foul' trouble again

11:31 AM, Jun 16, 2010

ROCKY RIVER -- Cleveland Cavalier JJ Hickson is facing his fourth speeding citation in a year. Following his third citation in March, the rising young basketball star said he had learned his lesson and he vowed to not speed again.

Investigator Exclusive: Truck safety questions raised in wrongful death lawsuit

12:52 PM, Jun 15, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Why did the driver of a big rig for Con-Way Truckload continue to drive for about five miles with his windshield covered in road salt? The driver goes on trial this month for hitting and killing Vijayi Emani, a prominent leader in the Cleveland Asian-Indian community.

Investigator Exclusive: Company wants to drill gas well next to school

3:53 PM, Jun 10, 2010

MAYFIELD HEIGHTS -- A company is seeking permission from the state to drill an oil and gas well next to a suburban middle school that more than 700 students attend.

Cuyahoga County: Former Sheriff McFaul pleads guilty, will pay restitution

8:06 AM, Jun 8, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Former nine-term Cuyahoga County Sheriff Gerald T. McFaul pleaded guilty before visiting Judge H.F. Inderlied in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas court Monday afternoon.

Investigator Exclusive: Driving school closes, leaving students scrambling

6:10 PM, Jun 3, 2010

FAIRLAWN - An Akron-area driver's education school has abruptly closed its doors, leaving more than 350 students scrambling to get their license and their parents wondering if they will get their money back.

Investigator Exclusive: Suburban homeowner arrested for barking dog

11:35 AM, Jun 2, 2010

RICHMOND HEIGHTS -- In a wake-up call for dog owners, a woman was arrested by police late last month for being cited a second time for her barking dog.

Cuyahoga County: 9 more people linked to ongoing corruption probe

6:01 AM, May 27, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Nine additional people have been linked to the ongoing Cuyahoga County corruption investigation.  

Cleveland: Officers get 6 months without pay in highway body controversy

11:39 PM, May 25, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Two Cleveland police officers who officials say mistook the body of a dead woman for a dead deer on I-90 were suspended for six months without pay in a ruling by Cleveland Safety Director Martin Flask.

Investigator Exclusive: Killer drugs called 'epidemic'

12:21 PM, May 25, 2010

CLEVELAND -- They now kill more Ohioans than car crashes.  Prescription drugs have killed nearly 1,500 Ohioans or about four people a day.

Investigator Exclusive: Human traffickers finally in cops' cross-hairs

1:56 PM, May 20, 2010

CLEVELAND -- It's the second-largest organized crime in the country behind illegal drugs but, until recently, human trafficking -- the modern-day equivalent of slavery -- had gone largely uninvestigated in Northeast Ohio.

Investigator Exclusive: Drilling for disaster near homes and schools?

3:49 PM, May 18, 2010

CLEVELAND -- A spike in oil and gas well drilling in urban and suburban areas, combined with too few state inspectors and possible equipment failures, has created a potentially deadly situation, according to industry insiders, community activists and lawmakers.

Investigator Exclusive: Nursing home sex abuse unreported, unprosecuted

11:56 AM, May 11, 2010

CLEVELAND -- The state Attorney General's Office received 158 complaints of sexual violence against elderly and disabled residents of long-term care facilities in Northeast Ohio since January 2006, but only two of those cases ended with a conviction, a Channel 3 News investigation found.

Investigator Exclusive: Big money men on campus

2:03 PM, May 5, 2010

CLEVELAND -- It's no secret that Dr. E. Gordon Gee of The Ohio State University is the highest paid public university president in the country.

Investigator Update: Report finds sting halted so Ohio Gov. Strickland not embarrassed

4:51 AM, Apr 30, 2010

COLUMBUS -- The state Inspector General says high-ranking Ohio officials stopped a valid drug sting planned for the governor's residence only to save Gov. Ted Strickland embarrassment.

Investigator Exclusive: Nurse still working after assaulting 63-year-old patient

4:30 AM, Apr 14, 2010

WESTLAKE -- Last March, a registered nurse at a west suburban hospital grabbed a 63-year-old patient by the throat and started choking her in an attack that prosecutors say could have ended much worse if two other nurses hadn't stepped in.

Investigator Exclusive: Lawmakers say 'board crazy' Ohio wasting tax dollars

8:13 AM, Apr 9, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Ohio has a board and commission for just about everything, and some lawmakers believe they're wasting millions of tax dollars by being allowed to operate.

Investigator Exclusive: Victim claims police allowed her to be terrorized twice

8:15 AM, Apr 2, 2010

WOODMERE -- A woman who says she was terrorized by her live-in boyfriend says police made matters even worse by turning over the keys to her apartment to the boyfriend's family.

Investigator: 'Incriminating' e-mails on planned drug sting at Governor's mansion

10:21 AM, Mar 24, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Was a planned drug sting at the Governor's mansion stopped for political reasons?

Investigator Exclusive: Most speeders don't get deal given to Cavs player

5:04 PM, Mar 19, 2010

ROCKY RIVER -- Did Cleveland Cavalier J.J. Hickson get a special deal on speeding citations because of his celebrity status?

The Investigator: Judge orders polygraphs from sex-assault victims

5:04 PM, Mar 19, 2010

CLEVELAND -- A Cuyahoga County juvenile court judge has ordered three girls who are rape victims to undergo lie detector tests despite a law that prosecutors say bars public officials from requiring such tests.

Investigator Exclusive: Cavs star gets wrist slap for 3 speeding tickets

7:38 PM, Mar 17, 2010

ROCKY RIVER -- Cleveland Cavaliers forward J.J. Hickson racked up three speeding tickets in five months last year, including one for going 95 mph in a red Maserati. But prosecutors downgraded the violations, so the rising star only had to pay a "no-point" $50 fine for each offense.

The Investigator: Cleveland charter school sponsor dodges questions on missing property

1:19 PM, Mar 17, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Where's the money?  Where's the property? Those are questions still unanswered as the state moves closer to not renewing Ashe Culture Center's sponsorship of 11 Ohio charter schools.

Investigator Exclusive: Allegations of broken promises jeopardize officer's memorial

12:43 PM, Mar 10, 2010

CLEVELAND -- It was supposed to be a lasting memory to a Cleveland police officer killed in the line of duty.

The Investigator: Woman says Sowell raped, beat her

12:19 PM, Mar 5, 2010

CLEVELAND -- She claims to be suspected serial killer Anthony Sowell's thirteenth victim and that she was lucky enough to survive.

Investigator Exclusive: Taxpayers charged with hundreds of unpaid city employee tickets

10:19 AM, Mar 5, 2010

CLEVELAND -- The City of Cleveland is making taxpayers foot the bill for more than 600 parking and traffic tickets issued to city employees in city vehicles.

Investigator Exclusive: Tax preparers tested as Feds increase oversight

2:21 PM, Mar 2, 2010

CLEVELAND -- The Internal Revenue Service plans to require tax preparers to pass a competency test and register with the govenrment. The agency estimates that there are more than a million paid tax preparers in what the IRS says is a largely unregulated industry.

Investigator Exclusive: County Council candidate has sex-related conviction

6:59 AM, Mar 2, 2010

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Timothy Russo spent years as a political consultant, advising foreign countries about democracy. Now, he wants to lend his expertise to the reformed government in Cuyahoga County.

Investigator Exclusive: Unclaimed funds, thousands owed tax refunds

8:56 AM, Feb 26, 2010

CLEVELAND -- It's a nice turn of events for nearly 2,500 Ohioans during tax season -- the Internal Revenue Service actually owes them money. The trouble is, they don't even know their name's on the list.

Investigator Exclusive: Big-wigs, Antarctica winners in Ohio stimulus projects

4:38 PM, Feb 23, 2010

FINDLAY -- It's the last flight of the day at Findlay Airport in western Ohio. In fact, it's the only one of the day.

Investigator Exclusive: Prosecutor calls Cleveland texting ban 'toothless tiger'

1:26 PM, Feb 16, 2010

CLEVELAND -- The man who convinced a judge to send a Bainbridge man to jail for texting while driving called Cleveland's texting and driving ban a "toothless tiger."

Investigator Exclusive: 'Phony' fees charged to home buyers and sellers

1:38 PM, Feb 13, 2010

CLEVELAND -- They have been described as phony fees, junk fees and fees you shouldn't have to pay.

Investigator Exclusive: Ohio's sex slave victims

3:01 PM, Feb 11, 2010

CLEVELAND -- They're snatched from their families -- through violence, threats and manipulation -- and forced into prostitution or hard labor. It's called human trafficking, and Ohio's been identified as a major market for years.

Investigator Exclusive: Counterterrorism program under attack for failing mission

12:40 PM, Feb 9, 2010

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Three illegal immigrants leave Detroit in a boat with no serial number. Their intentions are unclear, but their actions raise the suspicions of local authorities who issue an all-points bulletin in case it's related to terrorism.

Cleveland: Court sues 34 drivers for unpaid traffic cam tickets

1:44 AM, Jan 14, 2010

CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Municipal Court Clerk Earle Turner has filed lawsuits against 34 drivers who haven't paid thousands of dollars worth of traffic camera and parking tickets. The largest arrears is $8,085, according to court documents.

Chardon: Bainbridge man jailed for 'texting' accident

9:50 PM, Jan 9, 2010

CHARDON -- William Miralia, of Bainbridge, was sentenced by Geauga County Common Pleas Judge David Fuhry Friday to 6 months in jail and fined $2,000 for injuring a pedestrian May 5 while texting and driving.

Investigator Exclusive: Cleveland Heights made it easier for mortgage fraud masterminds

12:54 PM, Jan 7, 2010

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS -- Problems began as soon as Brynna Fish got the keys to her Cleveland Heights home -- clogged drains, mold. Then there was the roof.

The Investigator: 2009 in review

2:30 PM, Dec 31, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Public corruption, government misspending,   consumer fraud, and major crime were the main subjects of investigations for The Investigator Tom Meyer in 2009.

Investigator Update: Bainbridge settles lawsuit with woman left brain-damaged

2:01 PM, Dec 31, 2009

BAINBRIDGE -- The township has settled a civil lawsuit that accused three paramedics of failing to use a defibrillator to shock the heart of a woman in cardiac arrest, leaving her with brain damage as a result.

Investigator update: Violations of smoking ban continue

5:16 PM, Dec 24, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY  -- Two of the worst offenders of Ohio's three year old smoking ban continue to be fined for allowing smoking inside their businesses.

Investigator Exclusive: Prosecutor returns employee campaign contributions

4:01 PM, Dec 23, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Prosecutor Bill Mason has begun returning the roughly $72,000 in campaign contributions he received from employees since 2007, his office said today.

Investigator Exclusive: Stark Sheriff under fire over jail death

5:03 PM, Dec 16, 2009

STARK COUNTY -- The family of a mentally ill man who hanged himself with a telephone cord in the Stark County Jail has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the sheriff, jail staff and the contractor that provides medical and psychological services.

Investigator Exclusive: Cleveland's elderly bilked in Canadian bail scheme

4:57 PM, Dec 10, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- It starts with what seems like an ordinary phone call from your grandchild.  But it ends up costing elderly Clevelanders thousands of dollars.  Police say an old scheme, targeting seniors, has resurfaced in Northeast Ohio.

Investigator: Fake text message scheme targets unemployed

3:59 PM, Dec 10, 2009

CLEVELAND -- State officials issued a warning today about a scam targeting unemployment benefits deposited onto debit cards.

Investigator Exclusive: Hundreds of unpaid tickets by public employees in government vehicles

3:46 PM, Dec 2, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- A Channel 3 News investigation has found that city and county workers owe tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid traffic and parking tickets, issued when they were driving government-owned vehicles.

Investigator Exclusive: Bedbug infestations suck away tax dollars

4:58 PM, Nov 25, 2009

CLEVELAND -- First, federal prosecutors say they found corrupt officials sucking money out of a Cleveland halfway house for inmates. Now residents at the house say they're under attack again, except that this time, it's bedbugs at the Cuyahoga Re-Entry Agency.

Investigator Exclusive: High-profile wrestling coach avoids takedown

4:15 PM, Nov 20, 2009

CUYAHOGA HEIGHTS -- In Ohio high school wrestling circles, the name "Milkovich" is a household name. A school in Maple Heights has even been named after the family. Coach Dan Milkovich, who turned around a struggling program in Cuyahoga Heights, has been under fire for an incident that happened on his watch.

Investigator Exclusive: How safe are local driving schools?

4:54 PM, Nov 17, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Faulty brakes. Inadequate instruction. Crowded classrooms. These are some of the violations state inspectors found at local schools used to teach your teenager how to drive, a Channel 3 News investigation found.

Investigator exclusive: Smoking violations soar despite 3-year ban

4:47 PM, Nov 12, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Smoking inside public places has been illegal for nearly three years, but a Channel 3 News undercover investigation found many businesses continuing to allow smokers to expose other customers to deadly second-hand smoke.

Investigator Exclusive: Passenger complaints of lost, damaged luggage high despite extra fees

10:45 AM, Nov 7, 2009

CLEVELAND -- A Channel 3 News analysis of a government database shows passenger complaints about lost, damaged and stolen luggage remain high, despite extra charges for checked bags. 

The Investigator: Victim disputes police account in Sowell case

8:59 PM, Nov 4, 2009

CLEVELAND -- The woman who chased down police nearly a year ago, saying suspected serial killer Anthony Sowell tried to rape her, today disputed the Cleveland Police Department's account of why the case was dropped.

Investigator Exclusive: Family says paramedics covering up why woman suffered brain damage

10:16 AM, Nov 1, 2009

BAINBRIDGE -- Paramedics in this Cleveland suburb are being accused of disregarding their duty to save a 55-year-old woman who suffered brain damage, then trying to cover it up, according to a lawsuit exclusively obtained by Channel 3 News.

Investigator Exclusive: County Auditor placed Commissioner Jones' relative, friends on payroll

10:53 AM, Oct 13, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Does the average Joe have a shot at a county job if the competition is connected to one of the three county commissioners?

Investigator Update: Prosecutor giving back employee campaign contributions

3:22 PM, Oct 12, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- County Prosecutor Bill Mason is pledging to return campaign contributions he received from employees in the past three years in an attempt to silence criticism of the county reform proposal he is backing on the November ballot.

Investigator Update: Prosecutor urged to return donations following Channel 3 investigation

7:45 PM, Oct 8, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Supporters of the Issue 5 county reform plan are asking Prosecutor Bill Mason, who is leading the charge on an opposing reform proposal, to return the more than $100,000 in campaign donations he's accepted from his employees and their families.

Investigator Update: Mayor Brewer admits he's the one in racy photos

1:26 PM, Oct 8, 2009

EAST CLEVELAND -- East Cleveland Mayor Eric Brewer admitted on national television that he is the one posing in controversial and risque' photos that were released prior to a primary election for mayor.

Investigator Exclusive: Did commissioners pressure auditor to hire family and friends?

12:57 PM, Oct 2, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Federal prosecutors are investigating whether the Cuyahoga County Commissioners pressured Auditor Frank Russo's office to hire their family, friends, and political associates.

Investigator Exclusive: Employee for Shaker Heights antiques authors indicted

10:22 AM, Sep 30, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- They're national celebrities from our area who helped stoke the public's passion for rummaging through attics and flea markets, in hopes of discovering valuable antiques.  

Att'y General announces probe of Auditor Russo's appraisal system

9:05 AM, Sep 26, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray announced late Friday that he will investigate to uncover any "irregularities" in the appraisals of Cuyahoga County properties.

Investigator: Suburban mayor lashes out at his own police force

3:49 PM, Sep 25, 2009

EAST CLEVELAND -- Days before a primary election decides the outcome of the mayor's race in East Cleveland, shocking and disturbing photos, allegedly of incumbent Mayor Eric Brewer, are being circulated in the community, The Investigator Tom Meyer has learned.

Investigator Exclusive: Top Russo aide charged with bribery

9:38 AM, Sep 19, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Late Friday, incriminating documents filed in federal court identify Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo as the public official who took more than $1.2 million in kickbacks.

Investigator Exclusive: Heroin the drug of choice in Cleveland suburbs

11:09 AM, Sep 18, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Sometimes called "black tar," "smack" and "thunder," heroin is gaining popularity in Northeast Ohio.

Investigator Exclusive: Indicted mortgage fraud mastermind rips prosecution

7:36 PM, Sep 10, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Forty-one alleged co-conspirators pleaded not guilty today in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court to what prosecutors call the largest mortgage fraud scheme in the country.  

Investigator: Bill would ban county employee campaign contributions to officeholders

8:02 PM, Sep 3, 2009

COLUMBUS -- An influential state lawmaker plans to introduce legislation to ban county officials from accepting campaign contributions from any county employee where they serve.

Investigator Exclusive: Employees donate big bucks to county prosecutor

2:50 PM, Sep 3, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason, who is leading the charge to reform county government, has accepted more than $100,000 from his employees and their families since 2006, a Channel 3 News investigation found.

Investigator Exclusive: Church deacon fired over missing $300,000

1:25 PM, Sep 1, 2009

GARFIELD HEIGHTS -- Saints Peter and Paul Church has fired a deacon who serves as the parish bookkeeper after an internal audit found he had, "over the course of several years, wrongfully taken in excess of $300,000 from the parish," according a letter distributed at yesterday's services.

Investigator Exclusive: Juror breaks silence in 15-year-old murder case

3:10 PM, Aug 30, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Anthony Lemons has never waivered in declaring his innocence, despite being convicted by a jury of fatally shooting a man in 1994 during a botched drug deal.

Investigator Exclusive: Sheriff settles another lawsuit by woman told to strip naked

7:50 PM, Aug 24, 2009

STARK COUNTY -- The Stark County Sheriff has settled another lawsuit involving a claim by a woman who alleges she was improperly stripped of her clothing while in the custody of the Stark County Jail.

Investigator Exclusive: Mowing program not clear cut despite city's claim

11:09 AM, Aug 20, 2009

CLEVELAND -- The City of Cleveland, under attack for its controversial mowing progam, claims it has an error rate of only 2 percent.

Investigator Exclusive: 'Cramming' charges on phone bills are latest scam

3:42 PM, Aug 18, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Jason Freed was killing time online last fall when he found a web site promising to help decide between presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. He went for it, answering a number of questions on his political views.

Investigator Exclusive: Tax bills growing from city mowing

11:28 AM, Aug 14, 2009

CLEVELAND -- An overwhelming number of Clevelanders are complaining that they're getting clipped by the City of Cleveland's aggressive mowing program.

Prosecutor: Former Bratenahl police chief charged

6:02 PM, Aug 12, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Prosecutors today accused former Bratenahl Police Chief Paul Falzone of conducting campaign activities on village time in his bid to become Cuyahoga County sheriff.

The Investigator: Independence Jail guard charged with sexually assaulting boy

5:01 PM, Aug 12, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Prosecutors today accused a former Independence Jail guard of sexually assaulting a teenage boy after getting him high on marijuana and also convincing other boys to send sexually explicit images to his cell phone in return for pot.

Investigator update: Prosecutor says wife worked for company under investigation

10:55 AM, Aug 12, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Prosecutor Bill Mason broke his silence today after dodging questions from Channel 3 News for a week about his wife's ties to a company implicated in the county corruption probe.

Investigator Exclusive: Corruption probe questions for prosecutor's wife

11:34 AM, Aug 11, 2009

CLEVELAND -- For the past week, Channel 3 News has been seeking interviews with Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason and his wife about her connection to a company that's been implicated in the ongoing county corruption probe.

Former MetroHealth employee charged in county corruption probe

7:54 AM, Aug 7, 2009

CLEVELAND -- John Carroll, 62, of Bainbridge Township, the former vice president of construction at MetroHealth Medical Center, was charged in U.S. District Court today with conspiracy to commit bribery and other charges for steering contracts to East-West Construction in exchange for, among other things, European trips and a cruise.

Investigator Exclusive: Complaints piling up against local auto dealer

6:15 AM, Aug 6, 2009

ALLIANCE -- The Ohio Attorney General's office says it has now received 277 consumer complaints (as of August 3) against Courtesy Autoworld and Courtesy Kia of Alliance.

Parma: Firefighters agree to cost-cutting measures

9:13 PM, Jul 28, 2009

PARMA -- The City of Parma and Parma firefighters have agreed on major cost-cutting measures that had previously been voted down by the union, according to Parma Mayor Dean DePiero.

Investigator Exclusive: State pharmacy board tied to industry

2:47 PM, Jul 28, 2009

LORAIN COUNTY -- When Kathleen Klemm got to her Elyria home last week, she found a pharmacist had mistakenly put a bottle of generic painkillers she is allergic to inside the bag containing her antibiotics.

Investigator Exclusive: Penalties for prescription drug mistakes hard to swallow

2:32 PM, Jul 24, 2009

Dorothy Pordash thought she was getting medication to help her back pain. Instead, she was rushed to the hospital, thanks to a labeling mistake by the Marc's pharmacy near her Brook Park home.

Bribery charge filed today against Cuyahoga County worker in federal corruption probe

4:10 AM, Jul 23, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Federal prosecutors filed a one-count charge of bribery against former Cuyahoga County Auditor's office employee Dennis Dooley in federal court this morning, saying he bribed former Cuyahoga County Engineer's office employee J. Kevin Kelley and others to get a good-paying job in an unnamed county government office.

The Investigator: Mayor vows to cut firefighters' overtime in half

12:34 PM, Jul 22, 2009

PARMA -- At a time when most Parma city employees are taking concessions and pay cuts, the city's firefighters continue to rack up huge amounts of overtime.

Investigator Update: Ohio Attorney General sues aggressive Solon debt collector

5:28 PM, Jul 21, 2009

COLUMBUS -- Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray today sued a Solon-based debt collection agency, accusing it of trying to collect debts consumers never owed and siphoning money from other consumers' bank accounts without authorization.

Former D-A-S CEO Pumper pleads guilty in corruption probe

5:44 PM, Jul 19, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Former D-A-S construction executive Steve Pumper entered a guilty plea this morning to nine public corruption charges including conspiracy, bribery and obstruction of justice before U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen O'Malley in federal court.

Investigator Exclusive: Animal cruelty charges against livestock market selling to restaurants

3:38 PM, Jul 17, 2009

MEDINA COUNTY -- Animal cruelty charges have been filed against Edward Lind's livestock market in Medina County.

The Investigator: Lawsuit over strip search settled

3:29 PM, Jul 15, 2009

STARK COUNTY -- Stark County has agreed to settle the lawsuit brought by Hope Steffey who says she was brutally strip searched and left completely naked inside a jail cell for six hours.

Investigator Exclusive: Violent felon found at charter school

4:21 PM, Jul 10, 2009

CLEVELAND -- He was introduced to teachers as the school custodian. Little did teachers and students know that Anthony Carter was also a repeat violent offender.

Former D-A-S construction CEO latest charged in Cuyahoga County corruption probe

6:27 PM, Jul 8, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Federal prosecutors filed an information this morning, naming former D-A-S CEO executive Steven W. Pumper with nine counts of federal wrongdoing in connection with the ongoing Cuyahoga County corruption probe.

The Investigator: Drama, tension follow Dimora to commission meeting

7:35 PM, Jul 2, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY --  It ended with best wishes for the upcoming July 4th holiday from Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, but there were plenty of fireworks today at the commissioners' meeting, thanks to the county's ongoing public corruption scandal.  

Investigator Exclusive: Prosecutor wants state's opinion on whether he broke ethics law

3:54 PM, Jul 2, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason today said he will ask the state to investigate whether he violated ethics laws by awarding more than $90,000 in work to a Cleveland printing company.

Investigator Exclusive: County engineer lawyer tied to federally charged public corruption figures

3:53 PM, Jul 1, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Should county engineer contracts presented to the Cuyahoga County Commissioners be re-examined? 

Investigator Exclusive: Corruption figure arranged for business with commissioner's law firm

11:46 PM, Jun 25, 2009

CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- Channel 3 News Investigator Tom Meyer has learned the law firm that employs county commissioner Peter Lawson Jones has averaged about $65,000 a year in legal work for the Parma City Schools where J. Kevin Kelley had served as school board president.

Cuyahoga Cty: Dimora confronted in meeting, refuses to step down

9:03 PM, Jun 18, 2009

CLEVELAND -- It was business as usual at today's meeting of the Cuyahoga County commissioners until Cuyahoga County Republican Party Chairman Rob Frost challenged Commissioner Jimmy Dimora.

Investigator Exclusive: Subject of corruption probe not qualified for job

12:41 PM, Jun 18, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Daniel P. Gallagher, one of three former county employees charged with corruption and bribery, apparently shouldn't have been hired by Cuyahoga County in 1973.

Investigator Exclusive: Employee charged in corruption probe falsified resumé

2:33 PM, Jun 16, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Daniel P. Gallagher, the former chief of staff for Cuyahoga County Engineer Robert Klaiber, apparently falsified his resumé when he submitted his application for the position.

Investigator Exclusive: County employee admits wrongdoing in public corruption probe

9:39 PM, Jun 14, 2009

CLEVELAND -- The former chief of staff for the Cuyahoga County Engineer's office told The Investigator Tom Meyer that he "expects severe consequences" for misconduct the FBI uncovered in its long-running county public corruption probe.

Investigator Exclusive: Charter school accused of hiring friends and family

4:02 PM, Jun 11, 2009

CLEVELAND---The State of Ohio and Channel 3 News have found nepotism, cronyism, and influence peddling at Phoenix Village Academies in Cleveland and Akron.

Investigator Exclusive: Violent felon found at local daycare center

2:08 PM, Jun 4, 2009

GARFIELD HEIGHTS -- Parents and some employees are furious that a repeat violent offender was working around young children at the Building Blocks daycare center in Garfield Heights.

FBI: 2 more Cleveland housing inspectors charged with extortion

7:49 PM, May 27, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Mayor Frank Jackson, U.S. Attorney William J. Edwards and FBI Special Agent in Charge Frank Figliuzzi announced Wednesday that two more Cleveland housing inspectors have been charged with extortion.

Investigator Exclusive: State agency under fire for allowing the sale of confidential information

3:35 PM, May 21, 2009

CLEVELAND -- The sale of sensitive information from the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation raises serious questions about management and safeguards at the controversial state agency, attorney Craig Bashein said.

Investigator Exclusive: Security expert says school crime hidden in many districts

3:39 PM, May 15, 2009

CLEVELAND -- A Channel 3 News investigation found that the state of Ohio's record-keeping didn't always match numbers submitted by schools regarding crime. Such inconsistencies make it impossible to know what's really happening inside in your child's school.

Investigator Exclusive: Deadbeat water customers include the wealthy

2:19 PM, May 8, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Channel 3 News found more than $15 million in water bills that are six months to two years past due. 

Investigator Exclusive: Speeding 'hot spots' in northern Ohio

9:03 PM, May 5, 2009

CLEVELAND -- The Investigator Tom Meyer analyzed two years worth of data to find the top speeding "hot spots" in northern Ohio.

Custodian suing Cleveland Public Schools over reaction time to sexual misconduct complaints

10:00 PM, May 4, 2009

CLEVELAND -- A school custodian is suing Cleveland Public Schools for not reacting quickly to claims of sexual misconduct.

Investigator Exclusive: Target of FBI probe overpaid

8:27 AM, Apr 29, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Channel 3 News Investigator Tom Meyer has learned J. Kevin Kelley, the former Parma school board member and Cuyahoga County employee, made up to $29,000 more a year in salary than he should have.

Investigator Exclusive: Foreclosure rescue scams target most vulnerable

1:41 PM, Apr 28, 2009

The companies promise to rescue you from losing your home. Instead, they take your money and do nothing.

 

Investigator: Spitting on sidewalk costs man $226

9:22 AM, Apr 14, 2009

BEDFORD HEIGHTS -- Spitting on the sidewalk is illegal in Bedford Heights. Damon Young, a 19-year-old student at Tri-C, found out the hard way.

Investigator Exclusive: Judge hammers city for hiring violations

7:21 AM, Apr 14, 2009

CLEVELAND -- The days of getting hired at City Hall based on who you know and not what you know may be over.

Investigator Update: Security at downtown parking lots to improve

2:18 PM, Apr 8, 2009

CLEVELAND -- A number of changes will be made at parking lots in downtown Cleveland that are aimed at improving security.

Investigator: Doctor convicted on sex charges says state concealed evidence

9:54 PM, Apr 2, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Lawyers for Azzam Ahmed have gone to court alleging newly-discovered evidence could clear the way for a new trial for the former local gynecologist. Ahmed was convicted of sexually molesting his patients.

RTA driver charged following fatal accident

9:11 PM, Apr 2, 2009

CLEVELAND -- RTA bus driver Angela Williams has been fired, effective immediately, the Investigator Tom Meyer has learned.

Investigator Exclusive: International loan sharks exploit financially squeezed Clevelanders

2:18 PM, Mar 31, 2009

CLEVELAND -- A down economy and a shortage of credit have an international con game operating in high gear. It's an international scam that is preying on unwary consumers by taking millions of dollars of their money for the promise of a loan.

Investigator: Fatal accident with RTA bus, pedestrian caught on tape

2:54 PM, Mar 27, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Last Thanksgiving Cleveland police installed 13 security cameras in and around Public Square to deter crime.

Cleveland: Feds charge city building inspector with bribery, extortion;

7:51 PM, Mar 25, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Building & Housing Department Inspector Richard J. Huberty has been charged in federal court here with 10 criminal counts, including taking bribes and extorting city property owners. His attorney has said Huberty will plead guilty to those charges.

Investigator Exclusive: Hardball debt collectors threaten prosecution and jail

4:19 PM, Mar 24, 2009

CLEVELAND -- James Kelly thought he was going to have a heart attack when a debt collector threatened to prosecute him and throw him in jail.

Investigator Exclusive: Thieves exposed at security checkpoints in Justice Center

3:10 PM, Mar 17, 2009

CLEVELAND -- It might be the last place you'd think a crime would be committed. But security camera video at Cleveland's Justice Center has caught a number of thieves stealing valuables at security checkpoints.

Project AED: Some court employees clueless about life-saving devices

10:10 AM, Mar 13, 2009

It's a device so simple that nearly anyone can operate it -- and save a life. But first you have to know what it is and where to find it.

Investigator Exclusive: Billboard encourages women to report jail abuse

1:27 PM, Mar 12, 2009

STARK COUNTY -- A story that already has people talking nationwide is certain to get more attention with a billboard that encourages former female inmates to report jail abuse.

Investigator Exclusive: Sabotage investigation at Hopkins Airport

7:29 PM, Mar 11, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Channel 3 News has learned Cleveland police and Hopkins Airport authorities are conducting an investigation into possible sabotage of luggage-hauling vehicles at the airport. 

Investigator: Auto dealer charged with withholding titles from car buyers

4:42 PM, Feb 20, 2009

ALLIANCE -- A Northeast Ohio car dealer is headed to court, after failing to provide titles to customers.

County corruption probe: FBI raids Bedford company, warehouse

5:09 PM, Feb 19, 2009

BEDFORD -- Channel 3 News and The Investigator Tom Meyer have confirmed that IRS and FBI agents have served sealed search warrants at the offices and warehouse of the Nature Stone company here this morning (Thursday).

Investigator Exclusive: Garbage merger likely to hike prices

2:58 PM, Feb 18, 2009

Price hikes are likely to result from the merger of Northeast Ohio's two largest waste haulers, critics say.

Investigator Exclusive: Hidden camera investigation finds idling vehicles despite 'crackdown'

4:51 PM, Feb 13, 2009

CLEVELAND -- A Cleveland city councilman isn't blowing smoke when he says he's pushing for a law that would make it illegal for you to idle your vehicle unnecessarily.

Investigator Exclusive: Convicted felon, rejected as student monitor, drives suburban school bus

3:39 PM, Feb 4, 2009

WICKLIFFE -- Channel 3 News Investigator Tom Meyer has learned Se'mia Johnson (also known as Se'mia Beauregard) tried to get a job as a student monitor but was rejected by the state board of education.  The state permanently denied a one-year student monitor permit due to her felony record.

The Investigator: Cleveland police dispatcher fired

12:40 AM, Jan 29, 2009

CLEVELAND -- A Cleveland police dispatcher who failed to send a patrol car to a crime scene last year has been fired.
 

Investigator Exclusive: City set to hire career criminal

9:58 AM, Jan 27, 2009

CLEVELAND -- The Investigator Tom Meyer has learned the City of Cleveland is prepared to hire a traffic control officer whose criminal record includes 15 cases. The offender's record includes convictions on charges of rape, theft, and drug peddling.

Investigator Exclusive: Referral from Dimora can help friends land county job

11:33 AM, Jan 15, 2009

CLEVELAND -- Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora says his endorsement doesn't carry weight for job-seekers at the county.

Cleveland: Police supervisors under internal investigation after doctor suicide

1:17 AM, Jan 13, 2009

CLEVELAND -- The Investigator Tom Meyer has learned that two Cleveland police supervisors are under internal investigation for possibly ignoring a call for help.

Investigator Exclusive: 'Killer Buyer' penalized for horse slaughter hauling

2:09 PM, Jan 9, 2009

CLEVELAND -- The USDA has fined LeRoy Baker $162, 800 for violations of animal safety regulations.

The Investigator: Dentist on probation named in toxic teeth lawsuit

4:31 PM, Jan 7, 2009

CLEVELAND -- A Ravenna woman is suing Aspen Dental, accusing the dental chain of using dental work that contained toxic materials.

Investigator Exclusive: A look back at 2008

2:12 PM, Jan 1, 2009

CLEVELAND -- 2008 was a busy year for Channel 3 News Investigator Tom Meyer. 

Coroner's Office: Former strip club manager hired by county died of heart attack

8:50 AM, Dec 24, 2008

CLEVELAND -- Late Monday, the Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office confirmed that Rosemary Vinci was found dead in her Cleveland home. Tuesday afternoon, the coroner said the preliminary indication of death was a blocked coronary artery -- basically a heart attack --  and "that there was no foul play or trauma in this incident."

FBI: Cleveland fire lieutenant's home raided in child pornography case

11:28 AM, Dec 18, 2008

CLEVELAND -- Channel 3 News Investigator Tom Meyer learned FBI agents raided the home of Cleveland Fire Lieutenant Richard Norman at around 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Investigator Exclusive: Broken water pipe has previous problems

2:02 AM, Dec 18, 2008

CLEVELAND -- This isn't the first time there have been problems with the 42 inch pipe that broke on the near east side of Cleveland.

Investigator Exclusive: Convicted pimp with outstanding warrant works on council campaign

2:24 PM, Dec 12, 2008

CLEVELAND -- Channel 3 News Investigator Tom Meyer has learned one of the workers involved in the Tonya Jones campaign for Cleveland City Council has a warrant out for his arrest on theft charges.

Investigator Exclusive: Sale of counterfeit merchandise on the rise

5:00 PM, Dec 11, 2008

CLEVELAND -- A Channel 3 News hidden-camera investigation found counterfeit jewelry for sale at Parmatown Mall.

'Toxic Teeth' investigation prompts call for federal probe

1:15 PM, Nov 28, 2008

CLEVELAND -- U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown has called on the Food and Drug Administration to investigate the problem of lead-contaminated dental products that are being imported into this country.

Investigator Exclusive: Highest paid school bosses

12:32 PM, Nov 25, 2008

Six figure salaries. Six figure pensions. Generous car allowances. Annuities. Longevity pay. School superintendents across northeast Ohio are enjoying lucrative pay and perks at a time when voters recently rejected 15 of 22 tax levies.

Changes coming to downtown parking lots following Tom Meyer investigation

9:00 AM, Nov 21, 2008

CLEVELAND -- It's been seven months since the Investigator Tom Meyer exposed widespread crime in downtown parking lots.

Investigator Exclusive: Unsafe levels of lead found in dental work

4:37 PM, Nov 18, 2008

A Channel 3 News investigation has found dangerous amounts of lead in dental work made in China and shipped to dental labs here in Ohio.

Channel 3's Tom Meyer inducted into Cleveland Journalism HOF

9:05 AM, Nov 14, 2008

CLEVELAND -- The Investigator Tom Meyer was one of six people inducted Thursday into the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame.

Investigator Exclusive: Stark County Sheriff breaks silence on controversial strip search case

5:10 PM, Nov 11, 2008

STARK COUNTY -- Stark County Sheriff Tim Swanson defended his male and female deputies who forcibly removed a woman's clothes and left her completely naked inside a jail cell for six hours.

The Investigator: Despite preparations, many issues still possible on Election Day

8:24 AM, Nov 4, 2008

CLEVELAND -- Early voting should make things go more smoothly on Election Day, but there could still be problems and lawyers will be ready to attack if necessary.

The Investigator: Cuyahoga Commissioner continues to use chauffeur

7:23 AM, Nov 3, 2008

CLEVELAND -- With Election Day looming, the biggest race in Cuyahoga County is getting intense.

The Investigator: Dangerous but legal 'high' easy to buy

3:22 PM, Oct 31, 2008

CLEVELAND -- It's an hallucinogenic herb that some say is as powerful as LSD and cocaine. It's called salvia.

Investigator Exclusive: It's not what you know, it's who you know that matters in city hall hiring

10:25 AM, Oct 28, 2008

Cleveland -- A Channel 3 News investigation found questionable hiring practices at Cleveland City Hall that include the hiring of family members and friends and a blatant disregard for civil service rules.

FBI raids: CMHA, Reliance, Siemens; Cleveland, Bainbridge, Concord Twp. homes

7:45 PM, Oct 16, 2008

CLEVELAND -- Early Wednesday morning, about 100 FBI, IRS and HUD agents executed federal search warrants across three Northeast Ohio counties, including one for the office of CMHA Executive Director George Phillips at the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority headquarters on West 25th Street. 

Investigator Exclusive: Did state lawmaker misuse campaign money?

2:02 PM, Oct 9, 2008

CLEVELAND -- Ohio Representative Michael Debose of Cleveland wants you to re-elect him to office in the state's 12th district. At the same time, he doesn't want to explain why he wrote checks to himself or to cash from campaign funds.

Former Cuyahoga County Recorder sentenced to 15 months in prison on obscenity charge

6:46 AM, Oct 5, 2008

AKRON -- Pat O'Malley cried repeatedly on the witness stand Friday as he pleaded with the judge to give him the lowest sentence possible for his crime.

Channel 3 News investigation helps secure Purple Heart award for Iraq war veteran

6:13 AM, Oct 2, 2008

Wounded Sergeant Vance Noah, of Parma received the Purple Heart after being denied the honor.

Investigator Exclusive: Councilman under investigation for putting family on payroll

11:45 AM, Oct 1, 2008

CLEVELAND -- Ward 2 Cleveland councilman Robert White admits it was improper of him to use his council spending account to pay his wife, stepson and cousin.

FBI: Executes search warrants, raids on courtrooms of two Cuyahoga County judges

5:30 PM, Sep 30, 2008

CLEVELAND -- Channel 3 News Investigator Tom Meyer has learned that the FBI executed search warrants on the courtrooms of Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judges Bridget M. McCafferty and Steven J. Terry late Tuesday night.

Investigator Exclusive: Cleveland Councilman uses tax dollars to pay wife

12:33 PM, Sep 3, 2008

CLEVELAND -- Channel 3 News has learned that Ward 2 councilman Robert White may have broken state law by putting his wife on the payroll.

Investigator Exclusive: Local residents unaware of potential catastrophe in the Flats

8:45 AM, Aug 26, 2008

CLEVELAND -- CMHA residents told The Investigator Tom Meyer they had no idea about a falling hillside behind their homes until he informed them.

Investigator Exclusive: Assistant fire chiefs rack up overtime while fire station closes

8:25 AM, Aug 25, 2008

CLEVELAND -- For weeks last year and again this year, Cleveland closed a firehouse in the Flats because it didn't have the money to keep it staffed. (See the 2007 pay and overtime figures)

Cleveland: Dispatcher a 'no show' at disciplinary hearing

4:34 PM, Aug 12, 2008

CLEVELAND -- The 9-1-1 police dispatcher who is accused of failing to send a police car to what police now believe was a murder scene did not show up at her disciplinary hearing today.

Investigator Exclusive: Mystery surrounding photo of Commissioner Dimora and former strip club manager

12:27 PM, Aug 7, 2008

CLEVELAND -- Cuyahoga County worker Rosemary Vinci told The Investigator Tom Meyer she doesn't know what happened to a photo showing her and Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora that federal agents were looking for in Auditor Frank Russo's personal office.

FBI Raid: 'The Investigator' Tom Meyer gets first interview with J. Kevin Kelley

4:39 PM, Aug 1, 2008

CLEVELAND -- Channel 3 News' Tom Meyer got the first interview with J. Kevin Kelley, one of the targets of the FBI/IRS raid that occurred Monday.

Investigator Exclusive: Cuyahoga County official under federal investigation owns island homes

4:37 PM, Aug 1, 2008

Sources say a waterfront home on Johnson's Island being built by Kevin Kelley is likely to cost well over the $200,000 price tag listed on his building permit.

The Investigator: Public corruption investigation examines county contracts and kickbacks

4:36 PM, Aug 1, 2008

In addition to raiding the homes and offices of County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora and Auditor Frank Russo, federal agents searched the offices of a number of local contractors.

Investigator Exclusive: Copycat car charities hurting services to kids

12:08 PM, Jul 25, 2008

CLEVELAND - A local car donation program run by an organization called 'The Helping Jew' is being accused of giving as little as 1 per cent to charity.

Cleveland 9-1-1 dispatcher has history of complaints

6:44 PM, Jul 24, 2008

CLEVELAND - Supervisors and co-workers have expressed concerns about dispatcher Donna Yousef's performance for years, according to her personnel file.

Investigator Exclusive: Many downtown panhandlers have homes, criminal records

1:39 PM, Jul 15, 2008

CLEVELAND -- If you've been to downtown Cleveland, chances are you've been hit up for money by a street panhandler.

Investigator Exclusive: Commissioner's driver tests positive for marijuana following accident

7:39 AM, Jul 8, 2008

Channel 3 News Investigator Tom Meyer has learned that Billy Warner, the primary driver for Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones, was suspended in March of this year for failing a drug test.

Investigator: Cleveland parking lot owners making changes to improve safety

11:27 AM, Jul 1, 2008

CLEVELAND -- Parking lot owners are installing better lighting and adding round-the-clock attendants and more video cameras to improve security at downtown parking lots.

Investigator Exclusive: Special prosecutors deny Steffey case was a strip search

7:49 AM, Jun 20, 2008

The special prosecutors in the Hope Steffey case said Thursday that there was no strip search and no criminal wrongdoing by the Stark County sheriff's deputies.

Grand Jury clears Sheriff Deputies of criminal misconduct in explosive strip search case

9:31 AM, Jun 19, 2008

STARK COUNTY -- A Stark county grand jury has found no probable cause that county deputies committed any criminal wrongdoing while arresting Hope Steffey.

State overtime up 16 percent: Some earn more than $50,000 in OT

8:25 PM, Jun 6, 2008

Hundreds of state workers earned enough overtime pay to equal a second salary, state payroll records show.

Investigator Exclusive: Saving horses at Sugarcreek from slaughter

8:25 PM, Jun 6, 2008

SUGARCREEK -- Many of the horses sold at Sugarcreek auction are bought by so-called "killer buyers."

Investigator Exclusive: Paying for your gas and the city's

8:25 PM, Jun 6, 2008

CLEVELAND -- It should come as no surprise that you are not only paying a lot more to fill up your personal cars, but government vehicles as well.

Investigator Exclusive: Are campaign contributions getting in the way of Emily's Law?

8:24 PM, Jun 6, 2008

A lethal dose of salt during chemotherapy treatment killed 2-year-old Emily Jerry.

Investigator Exclusive: Wounded Iraq War veteran denied Purple Heart

8:21 PM, Jun 6, 2008

Vance Noah served 16 months in Iraq and returned home wounded. He thought a Purple Heart awaited him but the U.S. Army says no.

Investigator Exclusive: OHP launches investigation into odometer tampering at local car lot

8:21 PM, Jun 6, 2008

Holly Ovak thought she bought a reliable car to drive to work.

Investigator Exclusive: Police time wasted on false alarms

8:21 PM, Jun 6, 2008

CLEVELAND -- Nearly every time a security alarm sounds in Cleveland, it's a bogus call for help.

Investigator Exclusive: County Coroner bungles blood samples in criminal case

8:21 PM, Jun 6, 2008

Channel 3 News investigator Tom Meyer has learned exclusively that 2 laboratory technicians in the Cuyahoga County Coroner's office were suspended for mishandling blood samples in a criminal case.

Investigator Exclusive: Could the water main break on Public Square have been prevented?

8:21 PM, Jun 6, 2008

CLEVELAND -- A city water inspector might have some explaining to do. It turns out he was sent to Public Square at 12:30 Thursday morning to check out a possible water leak.

Strip Search Part 4: Four more women come forward with similar stories; Exclusive

8:20 PM, Jun 6, 2008

STARK COUNTY -- Valentina Dyshko of North Canton has told Channel 3 News investigator Tom Meyer exclusively that she had to remove all her clothes inside the Stark County Jail.

Investigator Exclusive: Secret weapon poses 'clear and present danger'

8:16 PM, Jun 6, 2008

AKRON -- An Akron man is peddling plastic knuckles which are just as strong as brass knuckles but can't set off metal detectors in schools, government buildings and airports.

Investigator Exclusive: Mortgage company abandons customers' personal records

8:16 PM, Jun 6, 2008

Channel 3 news found a garbage dumpster full of Clevelanders' personal information, including bank statements, credit reports, and tax returns.

Investigator Exclusive: Bedside Bandits target hospital patients and staff

8:16 PM, Jun 6, 2008

An exclusive Channel 3 News investigation found widespread crime at hospitals across Northeast Ohio. The crimes ranged from theft to rape.

Investigator Exclusive: Your money spent on big-screen TVs for anti-poverty agency

8:16 PM, Jun 6, 2008

CLEVELAND -- The woman in charge of Ohio's largest Head Start agency spent thousands of dollars on TVs that the children she serves will never see.

Investigator Exclusive: Towing of cars in Cleveland being mishandled

8:16 PM, Jun 6, 2008

CLEVELAND -- A hidden camera investigation has found that cars being towed in Cleveland are at times crushed without warning or their parts are sold for profit.

Investigator Exclusive Part 2: Ohio easing penalties on businesses that break liquor laws

8:16 PM, Jun 6, 2008

Bar and store owners need not worry about harsh punishment for selling booze to underage kids. Ohio doesn't dish out much -- even to repeat offenders, The Investigator Tom Meyer found.

Investigator Exclusive: Ohio soft on businesses that break liquor laws

8:16 PM, Jun 6, 2008

The state does little or nothing to punish businesses that sell booze to underage kids, a Channel 3 News investigation has found.

Strip Search Part 2: Is there video the Stark County Sheriff doesn't want you to see?

8:16 PM, Jun 6, 2008

CANTON -- Hope Steffey says she was knocked down and slammed face first into a jail cell floor by Stark County sheriff's deputies. Sheriff Timothy Swanson denies that.

Video could reveal what happened.

Strip Search Part 1: Strip search of woman by Sheriff's Deputies called outrageous

8:16 PM, Jun 6, 2008

CANTON -- Hope Steffey's night began with a call to police for help. It ended with her face down, completely naked and sobbing on a jail cell floor.

Investigator Exclusive: CSU professor's death was preventable

8:15 PM, Jun 6, 2008

A Channel 3 News investigation has found the electrocution of a Cleveland State University professor could have been prevented.

Passengers claim luggage, personal items stolen by TSA

8:08 PM, Jun 6, 2008

An exclusive Channel 3 News investigation reveals allegations of theft at Hopkins and other airports.

Flats club owner denies Mirage is trouble spot

8:08 PM, Jun 6, 2008

CLEVELAND -- The owner of the Mirage on the Water nightclub in the Flats defended his liquor license at a City Hall hearing Thursday.

Preview: Malpractice mess

5:13 PM, Apr 29, 2008

EXCLUSIVE: Hopkins stays open while training explosive missing

5:01 PM, Dec 31, 2007

CLEVELAND -- A Channel 3 News exclusive: More than a pound of C4 plastic explosive ended up in a dumpster at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport during a training exercise in November.

EXCLUSIVE: Jewelry is most common item reported missing or stolen from Hopkins

2:03 AM, Dec 28, 2007

CLEVELAND -- Next time you travel by air, whether it's now during the holidays, or maybe for a winter vacation, we can tell you the most important items you'll want to keep an eye on as you go through airports.

Prosecutor: Biggest local foreclosure scam ever

4:17 PM, Dec 21, 2007

CLEVELAND -- 30 people have been indicted in what the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor calls a major foreclosure scam.

Politician who called cops 'hit men' trying to avoid being sued

11:26 AM, Dec 13, 2007

A Cleveland State Senator is appealing a decision that allows her to be sued by the police officers she criticized.

Cleveland Browns Stadium repair bill in the millions

2:08 PM, Dec 11, 2007

CLEVELAND -- The damage done to Cleveland Browns Stadium by a water main break in July cost more than six and a half million dollars.

Strongsville youth coach/suspended cop to be sentenced on park sex charges

12:29 PM, Nov 29, 2007

STRONSVILLE -- A Strongsville youth football coach, who is also a Wakeman police officer, was caught having sex in a Cleveland Metroparks bathroom.

Mayor answers for taped conversations and raises questions about why they surfaced

12:28 PM, Nov 29, 2007

EAST CLEVELAND -- Mayor Eric Brewer doesn't deny he used the N-word and talked to a Sergeant about voiding parking tickets.

The Investigator wants to hear from you. If you know of corruption, government waste, consumer fraud or wrongdoing, please contact

Tom Meyer
"The Investigator"
216-344-3464
tommeyer@wkyc.com

Tom Meyer's bio