Longtime Cuyahoga County corrections officer Martin Devring was fired in December in connection with the death of Joseph Arquillo, an inmate who died in August of 2018. The coroner’s office found Arquillo had fentanyl, heroin and cocaine in his system when he became ill at the county jail. He was subsequently taken to the Cleveland Clinic where he passed away. His was one of eight deaths that occurred in the jail in 2018, a horrific stretch that precipitated the involvement of the U.S. Marshals and an ongoing corruption investigation now in the hands of the Ohio Attorney General’s office into the conduct of various county officials and employees.
Devring had been under investigation for falsifying records pertaining to rounds, which by policy should be conducted every 15 minutes. He had been accused of failing to do rounds in the area where Arquillo was housed and then lying about it afterward.
Four months after being fired, Devring has now been indicted in connection with his actions that day, as too four other corrections officers for unrelated incidents including assaults on restrained inmates. Devring’s charges include tampering with evidence, dereliction of duty and interfering with civil rights.
So, to recap:
Former jail boss Ken Mills was fired in 2018 and shortly thereafter indicted for lying to investigators and county council. County HR chief Ed Morales has announced his retirement. Interim jail boss George has likewise announced his departure. Former nursing director Gary Brack was summarily fired last year on personal direction of the county executive after he told county council about his serious concerns about medical and nursing staffing at the facility.
Armond Budish is in the second year of his second term after winning re-election and, barring an indictment, will likely be gracing us with the brand of dynamic and accountable leadership that begat this whole mess all the way until 2022.
This article appears in Apr 3-9, 2019.
1st year of 2nd term
Good. Perhaps if we start prosecuting these shitheel corrections officers they’ll pull their heads out of their asses and actually do their fucking jobs. A shocking idea, I know, but it will be something new for the current lazy asshats who work at the Cuyahoga County Jail. I was in there once for a weekend and couldn’t believe the lazy indifference that these bums brought to their jobs. A guard actually got upset with me when I woke him up from his middle of the day nap at his fucking desk to ask for toilet paper.
You can’t blame all of it on the officers though, how about we prosecute the shitty management that has let crap like this go on forever. I do mean forever, I had a friend hang himself there while on suicide watch because they wouldn’t give him his non narcotic medication back in 2011. I’m sure the guard logs were probably faked in that instance as well, how the hell else do you manage to hang yourself in a jail cell while on suicide watch?
Enough of these piece of shit guards and their uncaring, shitty asshole supervisors. I hope they either get prosecuted or they all die in a fire. Nobody should have to endure the disgusting, inhumane conditions present in that repugnant shit hole, not even criminals. Lets see what the guards think of it when they’re locked in there themselves. I’d bet cash money most of those pussies won’t make it a week. Let’s see how they feel when some minimum wage babysitter who refuses to do their fucking job tells them they can’t have any toilet paper. Gotta love karma….
Good riddance Joe. A career criminal and drug addict off the streets for good, no big loss there. I told your old heroin shootin buddy you’d be dead in a year and damned if you didn’t prove me right. Thank God he got away from you when he did, he’s still alive.