A Cuyahoga County grand jury has indicted Kenneth Lundy, the former East Cleveland police chief, on nearly three dozen charges for crimes he allegedly committed while serving as a detective with the department and as its top cop.
According to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, Lundy is charged with the following:
- Three counts of Bribery
- One count of Intimidation of an Attorney, Victim or Witness in a Criminal Case
- One count of Perjury
- One count of Complicity to Commit Perjury
- Four counts of Interfering with Civil Rights
- Four counts of Dereliction of Duty
- One count of Falsification
- One count of Obstructing Official Business
- One count of Menacing by Stalking
- Two counts of Assault
- One count of Aggravated Menacing
- One count of Trespass into a Habitation When a Person is Present or Likely to be Present
- One count of Vandalism
- One count of Unauthorized Use of the Law Enforcement Automated Database System
- One count of Unauthorized Use of Computer, Cable or Telecommunications Property
- One count of Possessing Criminal Tools
- Three counts of Theft in Office
- Three counts of Tampering with Records
The charges stem from alleged incidents between December 2016 and January 2025, involving a homicide investigation, two bribery cases and a trust account.
Lundy is accused of bribing a suspect in a December 2016 drug case by offering to drop the charges in exchange for a Chevrolet Tahoe worth $50,000.
In January 2018, Lundy allegedly demanded that a suspect pay $10,000 to have his charges reduced. The prosecutor's office said Lundy falsified police records in that case.
Another incident, this time involving the East Cleveland Police Department Trust Account, happened between August and September 2018. Prosecutors allege Lundy requested $3,000 from the account as "investigative buy money," then deposited the funds into his personal account and used them for other purposes.
The former chief is also charged in connection with the handling of the homicide of Jamar Forkland and the prosecution of Jerry Sims.
Prosecutors allege Lundy became involved in a relationship with a witness in the case and "utilized the relationship to pressure, intimidate, and provide financially for the witness with the motivation to have her provide evidence and testimony implicating Jerry Sims in the homicide, causing her to change her original statement and ultimately testify at trial."
Sims was convicted in the case, and afterward, prosecutors say Lundy engaged in "increasingly toxic criminal behavior" with the witness, "including several instances where Detective Lundy engaged in physically violent acts, damaged property, trespassed, and other conduct that caused her mental and emotional abuse, including, on one occasion, pointing a weapon at her and threatening her and his life."
Prosecutors also said that during that time, Lundy also unlawfully accessed the police computer system LEADS.
Last year, Sims' attorney requested a new trial, arguing that her client didn't receive fair due process, citing the alleged relationship Lundy had with the witness in the case.
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The prosecutor's office said that while chief, "Lundy lied to the investigator about having an improper sexual relationship" with the witness and "provided a materially false response, obstructing the investigation into the merits of Jerry Sims's motion."
Sims' conviction was later vacated.
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The witness is Sims' case has since been indicted on a perjury charge.
Lundy was fired by Mayor Lateek Shabazz in July 2025 based on civil service qualifications and the length of his temporary appointment to chief. Shabazz also noted that Lundy's relationship with the witness in the homicide case was another factor in Lundy's firing.
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Lundy will be arraigned in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas at a later date.
