;)
Friday
Jun202008
State Charges Dropped in Hope Steffey Case
Friday, June 20, 2008 at 4:10PM 
According to a grand jury, Stark County deputies committed no criminal acts while arresting Hope Steffey two years ago. Nancy H. Rogers, Ohio attorney general, issued a statement saying that a Stark County grand jury did not hand down any indictments after reviewing the evidence presented by the state's Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation Special Prosecution Sections.
The Steffey case was investigtated by Paul Scarsella, the Chief of the Special Prosecutions Section for the Attorney General’s Office where he manages 4 attorneys and support staff. He was assisted by Bridget Carty, Public Integrity Unit Coordinator, and an Assistant Attorney General in the Special Prosecutions Section.
The Special prosecutors, Paul Scarsella and Bridget Carty, said the incident, in which male and female deputies forcibly removed Steffey's clothes at the Stark County jail, was a suicide precaution. They said the deputies were only following a medical order given by a doctor on duty to remove her clothes. Though the jail has suicide suits for inmates to wear, prosecutor Scarscella said Steffey was not immediately given one because even the suit was deemed too dangerous for her to have.
The Special prosecutors presented the results of their investigation to the grand jury without interviewing Hope Steffey. They said they were unwilling to interview her with her lawyers present, as she requested. Steffey did however appear before the grand jury. The grand jury declined to indict the deputies involved.
Steffey denied that she was suicidal or was given the opportunity to remove her clothes herself. There is no policy that prevents men from removing a female inmate's clothes during a suicide precaution situation. Men are however prevented from strip-searching a female inmate.
However, the findings of this grand jury will have no bearing on the federal lawsuit that Hope Steffey filed on Oct. 2007, accusing Stark County deputies of violating her civil rights by assaulting, strip-searching and leaving her injured and naked for six hours in a Stark County jail cell. She had to use toilet paper to cover herself. Defendants in the case are Swanson, Deputy Sheriff Richard T. Gurlea Jr. and one to 15 other "John and Jane Does" employed at the Stark County Jail, and the Stark County commissioners. That case is scheduled to go to trial in December.
Below is the video (in 2 parts) which documents Hope’s experience at the hands of the Stark County Sheriff’s Dept. The video is graphic (you’ve been warned!!)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daYBjfvEjfQ&eurl=http://shadmia.com/2008/02/14/innocent-woman-strip-searched/]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDuuo0k9xXw&eurl=http://shadmia.com/2008/02/14/innocent-woman-strip-searched/]
Whether or not the videotape was presented to the state grand jury will probably never be known, since the deliberations of grand juries are held in secret. But it is certain to be part of the civil case to be heard in federal court. Steffey's attorneys are now under federal court order to not discuss the case. But they have argued that the force used by deputies, and seen on the videotape, was brutal and unnecessary.
Reader Comments (81)
Photographs? Do you have a link to them?
The video that they said the camera was broken is the strip video. The beginning of this video is "missing". This is when Steffey says she was attacked by the guards/cops. BUT THEN, just as they force her to the bunk to strip her, this same camera starts working again!! (Anyone else's stuff repair itself?)
I have never seen a report on this "magic" camera, on how many times it failed to record, either before this incident, or afterwards.
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I was always puzzled by the news saying that there was "confusion" when the cops arrived.
I'm thinking what "confusion"?? They have everyone there saying that Steffey was the victim, even the cousin is saying it on video. Plus the brother of the attacker calls the cops on his own sister.
Heck even the cop testifies that he went to his car to document Steffey's injuries...so WHY are they saying there was "confusion"!?!?
Then I found out why...the cops tried to FRAME Steffey for the assault that she had reported!!
This is a Cut & Paste of what I have been posting:
UPDATE
Here’s PROOF the cops were actually trying to charge the VICTIM for the crime she was reporting!!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/Incident-Report-Assault.jpg
NONE of the papers have EVER reported that Steffey was actually arrested for assault too.
Leanne Preston is listed as the VICTIM! This is the niece that Steffey claimed attacked her. (her injuries are listed as a broken fingernail)
Scott Preston is the Uncle of Leanne, the woman that allegedly attacked Steffey. They are listing him as a witness against Steffey.
HOW they are listing him as reporting the assault is beyond me.
Ok heres part of Uncle Scott's testimony at trial.
So HOW do the cops use a statement to frame Steffey, from a guy that testifies that he saw NOTHING?!?!?!?
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/Zemo999/Scott1.jpg
I can see why they never tried to convict her of the assault too.
Since Scott is not the one that called 911.
Leanne's brother is the one that actually reported the assault, and called police ON HIS OWN SISTER, at Steffey's request. (BTW he never showed up at the trial to testify.)
The arresting cop, Richard T. Gurlea Jr., testified at Steffey's trial that the 'investigation' into the assault was never finished. (REALLY?!!?)
We have Steffey's cousin, on tape, telling Steffey that the officer has to KNOW that none of this was her fault, while the officer is within listening distance.
Plus we have the other witnesses that said Steffey was the one attacked. The cop has them all looking for Steffey hair that was ripped out.
Even the officer testified at court that he went to his cruiser to get a camera to document Steffey's injuries, there seems to be no “confusion” about who was the victim like the papers claim. So what happened?
And he is recorded on TAPE telling Steffey that he will still 'investigate' her assault even as he has her in his car, so what happened?
This report SHOWS what happened, the cops KNEW that it was ALL BS!!
Since they are all trying to railroad the VICTIM of the assault!
OMG this is a terrible case. Thanks for helping to get the facts out. I hadn't heard about this citizen's ordeal until tonight (I live in the UK).
So, is there a trial date yet? I so much want this to go to court.
Sorry Clara the case was settled between the county & Steffey. But she is still suing the jail contractors, but this will NEVER go to a trial either.
If any of this went to a trial then all the BS would be exposed and the criminal actions of the cops, the BCI, and the jail staff would come to light.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5T53--pJTo&feature=email
Reporter Tom Myer was hung up on by the sheriff when he asked for a comment. All I can say is WELCOME TO THE CLUB!! I have been hung up on many times by these people, while just asking questions!!
YEAH! They have nothing to hide! LoL
QUOTE "According to a grand jury, Stark County deputies committed no criminal acts while arresting Hope Steffey two years ago."
Actually that should read "The grand jury was never given enough evidence to find the Deputies 'criminally culpable' of any wrong doing."
THIS would be a LOT closer to the truth!!
QUOTE "They said the deputies were only following a medical order given by a doctor on duty to remove her clothes."
I have asked for that documentation and the sheriff's dept says they have NO RECORD of the jail psychologist Thomas Anuszkiewicz EVER giving any order like that.
So it looks like this is a LIE too, the only one that gave that order was a LPN, who did NOT have the authority to make that decision.
UPDATE
Called & talked to Paul Scarsella. I asked if they have ever examined the camera that failed to record & to check and see if it had EVER failed BEFORE this case or AFTER.
ANSWER : No
(Sort of makes you wonder if they REALLY "investigated" ANYTHING?!?!?)
UPDATE the latest on this case
Deputies drop suit vs. WKYC over Hope Steffey report
Just as I have said all along this would NEVER get to a trial. There is just no way for the cops to justify what was done to Steffey.
http://www.cantonrep.com/news/crime/x1631834888/Lawsuit-against-WKYC-dropped