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EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — An East Cleveland police officer was placed on unpaid leave last month after the department learned of an investigation into a claim of sexual assault.
The officer was placed on leave June 16 after Chief Reginald Holcomb learned the officer was being investigated by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff, law director Ken Myers said.
The officer joined the department in November 2025, Myers said. The leave is automatically unpaid because he was still in his probationary period, which is standard for an officer’s first six to 12 months with a department.
“Nobody’s happy about it,” Myers said. “We treat each of these situations differently. This is potentially very serious depending on what the facts turn out to be.”
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that its office was asked to investigate, but declined to provide other details.
Myers said the city doesn’t have details about the incident, but the phone call the chief received indicated the investigation involved alleged sexual assault.
East Cleveland has a lengthy history of claims of misconduct against officers. Most recently, former East Cleveland acting police chief Kenneth Lundy was indicted on dozens of charges tied to alleged misconduct spanning several years, including bribery, witness intimidation and falsifying records. He pleaded not guilty.
When Lundy was appointed to the role in 2024, he replaced Brian Gerhard, who resigned amid allegations that he posted racially offensive memes. Gerhard replaced Scott Gardner, who pleaded guilty to a tax charge in 2024.
Since 2021, more than a dozen East Cleveland officers have been convicted in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court for bribery, robbery, assaults on residents and other charges.
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