Crime Ring Accused Of Stealing In 4 Northeast Ohio Counties

CLEVELAND — Seven people have been charged with taking part in a crime ring that stole goods from businesses and homes in four Northeast Ohio counties. The indictment against the group includes 116 felony charges, including grand theft, conspiracy, vandalism, breaking and entering and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.

“These thieves fenced stolen goods across municipal lines, hoping that by spreading out their crimes, they would evade law enforcement,” Ohio Attorney General Daev Yost said. “Too bad for them we have the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, which has no boundary lines, and was able to piece it all together to get results.”

The indictment against the group was handed down by a Cuyahoga County Grand Jury on Thursday. According to prosecutors, the crime ring targeted construction sites, parking lots, and landscaping storage yards. They would steal catalytic converters, trucks, trailers, gaming systems, copper wire and other supplies.

Investigators used search warrants to recover a pickup truck, three weapons, $1,000 in cash, drugs, tools and construction equipment, Yost's office said.

The thefts happened over the past year in Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain and Summit counties. Numerous cities experienced the thefts, including Avon, Brooklyn Heights, Cleveland, Cleveland Metroparks, Lorain, Ravenna, Orange Village and Willoughby.

Due to the wide-spread nature of the crimes, the state's Property Crimes Task Force and Cleveland police led the investigation.

Donald Miller, Brandon Harrison, Dylan Stump, John T. Harrison, Christine Jachna are named in the indictment. Two additional suspects are being pursued by law enforcement and have sealed indictments against them, according to a spokesperson from Yost's office.

“This indictment is a prime example of the tireless work and extraordinary efforts of many different agencies and investigators,” said Cleveland Police Chief Calvin D. Williams. “The task force spent countless hours collaborating to ensure this outstanding result and this certainly shows how important partnerships are in law enforcement.”