'I Hate Fucking Faggots' and '[Budish] is a Jew': County Inspector General Finds Former Jail Boss Ken Mills Made Homophobic, Anti-Semitic Remarks

Former Cuyahoga County jail boss Ken Mills this morning pleaded not guilty to charges that he lied to Cuyahoga County council and prosecutor's office investigators in the ongoing county corruption probe. His possible role in blocking the hiring of nurses at the county jail and what he told authorities in the aftermath will play out in court, but regardless of the legal outcome, a report from county Inspector General Mark Griffin that was finalized on Jan. 8 shows that Mills is generally a bad dude who apparently couldn't interact or talk about someone who wasn't a cis white male without making an offensive remark.

Outlined in the report, which was first reported by Cleveland.com and which can be read in full at the end of this post, are four broad trends of egregious behavior, especially by a county employee. Namely, disparagement of homosexuals, African-Americans, women and Jewish people.

Some highlights:

— Mills inquired with an employee whether two males county employees were involved in a relationship. When that employee asked why Mills cared, the employee said Mills responded, "I hate fucking faggots." It was not the only witness or instance of Mills using the language or expressing his feelings on the matter.

— When an employee asked about the budget for the county jail, Mills said, "You know the Executive is not going to give you any more money. He's a Jew."

— In multiple discussions about African-American county employees, including one unnamed Sheriff's department sergeant and Sheriff Clifford Pinkney, Mills would make remarks about them being stupid and lazy and indicate they only had their jobs because of their race.

— Indicated throughout the report are general feelings from witnesses — employees, judges, court employees — that Mills was a "chauvinist" who didn't like women.

The IG's office attempted to reach and interview Mills at least 11 times via phone, mail and email. They never received a response. Interviews of other witnesses kicked off in early October 2018. Some said they had been reticent to come forward previously because of fear of retaliation, especially after the firing of former county jail nursing director Gary Brack, which was done at the personal request of Armond Budish, after he spoke out at a county council meeting about medical concerns at the jail and Mills' culpability in those issues.

In conclusion, the IG found sufficient evidence that Mills made the majority of the remarks and routinely violated the county's ethics policies.

Mills, of course, abruptly resigned his position in Nov. 2018 in advance of the scathing U.S. Marshals report on the county jail and the eventual indictment that landed him in court today.