Less than a week after State Rep. Elliot Forhan (D-South Euclid) was stripped of his access to the statehouse and other facilities for alleged abusive behavior, a fellow lawmaker, Rep. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland), says she filed a civil protection order against him.
Last week, Democratic Party leaders detailed Forhan’s alleged "abusive" and "violent" behavior in a 19-page memorandum sent to party leadership by House Democratic Leader Allison Russo. Forhan told News 5 he does not regret his behavior and said he is not being treated fairly.
Forhan is currently under investigation for his actions, which prompted House Speaker Jason Stephens to revoke nearly all his lawmaker privileges. In a letter to Forhan, Stephens said the decision to do so was made for the safety of House members and staff.
Russo’s 19-page memo to Democratic leadership details alleged instances of Forhan directing abusive language towards women, including fellow lawmakers.
As the controversy surrounding his actions swirled, Forhan released and then deleted several videos apologizing for his behavior to State Rep. Jaunita Brent (D-Cleveland) and another lawmaker, Jessica Miranda (D-Forest Park).
Police reports filed
Two reports filed with Cleveland Police detail the allegations against Forhan that allegedly occurred between June 26 and Nov. 21.
According to the police report, Forhan went to Brent's home unannounced on June 26, parked his vehicle nearby, walked to her house, and "aggressively" knocked on her door. When Brent's cousin answered the door, Forhan said he wanted to talk to the state rep. He left when Brent's cousin asked him to leave.
The report states that the next day, Forhan was advised in a meeting with Russo that he was not allowed to go to Brent's home without prior notification and approval. Following the discussion, the report states that Forhan contacted several public officials about Brent's whereabouts.
On Nov. 11, Forhan was seen "aggressively yelling" at state Rep. Munira Abdullahi about a flag. The report said this was brought to Russo's attention.
On Nov. 18, Forhan made several apologetic posts on TikTok, X and Instagram. The report stated that Forhan had "been very persistent" with harassing behavior by "love-bombing" and sending blue flowers to the Cuyahoga County Democratic Office.
The report states Brent was fearful for her safety.
A second report states that Brent had security camera footage of Forhan going to her home on Nov. 20 and leaving a letter on her property. A security detail was added to Brent's home as a response to his visit. On Nov. 21, a pickup truck drove by the home and slowed down when it approached.
"The driver of the black F150 resembled Elliot and continued driving down...without coming to a complete stop. The vehicle left the area and did not return," the report states.
According to the report, while Forhan hadn't been served the protection order yet in the most recent incident, Brent believed he had been aware of it from social media posts he had been tagged in online referencing articles about the order's existence."
Brent's statement
Brent issued the following statement regarding the protection order that she says was requested "out of concern for my safety":
“The Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court has taken the unfortunate, yet necessary, step of approving a Civil Protection Order that I filed Monday against Representative Elliot Forhan. Over the weekend, Rep. Forhan posted three separate, public social media videos directed at me. The representative’s tone, demeanor, and choice of words in each video left me feeling uncomfortable and concerned for my safety. Also during this time, the representative reached out to several local political leaders asking with urgency if they knew my whereabouts and how he could contact me. Behavior that, again, left me uncomfortable and concerned for my safety. Considering the representative’s invasive behavior, as well as past instances with the representative that left me unnerved, I felt that it was in the best interest of my safety to file a temporary restraining order. I urge Rep. Forhan to respect my family’s privacy. I will continue to pray he gets the help he needs during this difficult time.”
News 5 has reached out to Forhan for comment.
State now investigating
Before the protection order was filed, Forhan was notified on Nov. 17 in a letter from House Speaker Jason Stephens that a request was being sent to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office requesting an investigation regarding his behavior.
On Monday, Dave Yost, the state’s attorney general, announced that the law firm Perez and Morris had been appointed special counsel to investigate the matter. Yost gave the special counsel a budget of $30,000 at an hourly rate of $225 with an investigation termination date of June 30, 2024.
“You know, there have been very serious allegations about hostile work environment that have been raised,” Yost told News 5. “The normal thing, whether you’re the State of Ohio or Walmart, is to look into it and then take whatever is warranted on the facts.”
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