CLEVELAND — Top brass in the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department are pleading with five detectives to stay after a major case, calling their exit plans "eye-opening."
The detectives requested transfers from the detective bureau after a deadly shooting by an off-duty Cleveland police officer, Myron Priest, landed on their plate.
News 5 Investigators obtained an email from Lt. Miguel Caraballo.
On May 20, surveillance video at Park Place apartments on East Boulevard shows Priest shooting and killing Akili Hammond.
On May 26, five sheriff’s detectives, including two lead detectives investigating the deadly Cleveland Police shooting, emailed their supervisors and HR, wanting out of the Detective Bureau.
The following day, Lt. Caraballo wrote back saying, "You all have a way of reminding me that my s*** does stink, and that I must be better."
Caraballo went on to say, "We all worked extraordinary hours since Wednesday, and the lack of sleep, combined with the stress of an investigation of this magnitude, made us all irritable."
The county confirmed he was talking about the day the deadly police shooting happened.
One detective called the bureau a hostile work environment, impacting morale and focus.
Another said victims and their families deserve focused attention and adequate resources, pointing out that he was not approved for additional training.
Caraballo thanked the detectives for their honesty, saying he knows his "fast-paced way of working can sometimes be overwhelming and overbearing" and that he "can learn from his mistakes."
He also apologized for being "so demanding" and asked all to reconsider their transfer requests.
Last week, News 5 Investigator Tara Morgan asked Sheriff Harold Pretel about what was going on.
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“Anytime those things come up, they’re highly concerning, so we met with them, we had a long conversation with them, and we’re working into it further to see exactly what the factors were, probably a confluence of events that came together, but I can assure the public that the work of the detective bureau continues,” Pretel said.
At last check, the five detectives are still assigned to the detective bureau.
It’s been three weeks since Hammond was killed, and still no arrests.
On Wednesday, the Cuyahoga County prosecutor’s office requested the Ohio Attorney General’s office to serve as special prosecutor in the case.
The move was to avoid any perceived conflict of interest.
The AG’s office said the request is under review.
