CINCINNATI — Inmates allegedly belonging to a "notorious prison gang" posed a serious threat to staff and other inmates in the minimum-security River City Correctional Center in Cincinnati, according to an unsigned attachment to a recent internal report.
The concerns were part of a special incident report documenting late-night altercations on June 17 between "well-known members" of the gang Cincinnati White Boys and other inmates that included an assault caught on surveillance video.
According to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, a 'special incident' is an "incident which seriously threatens the health, safety and/or security of a person or ODRC facility, office or associated operations." River City’s Executive Director Scott McVey said their "security chief" wrote the attachment.
WCPO 9 blurred the video because no one was charged and without blurring you can identify inmates not involved in the incident.
River City surveillance video at 10:45 p.m. that night shows four alleged white gang members following a Black inmate into a bathroom.
According to the report, the internal review of incidents that night determined that the inmates "were involved in an altercation in the bathroom."
Minutes later, the Black inmate punched one of the alleged white gang members twice in the back of the head, according to the report. The white inmate fell to the floor where he "appears to be unconscious as he laid on the ground," according to the report.
Surveillance video shows an employee handcuffing the Black inmate and removing him from the area.
The incident report does not mention other interactions seen on the surveillance video that appear to be verbal altercations between inmates from 11-11:35 p.m.
In an email to the I-Team, McVey wrote, "no further incidents occurred therefore not requiring reporting to ODRC."
As a direct result of the altercations that night, the report says River City transferred eight inmates — including all of the white alleged gang members — to the Hamilton County Justice Center.
"When I became aware of the concerns with these residents, we took steps to reduce that population and increased monitoring of their communication in order to identify potential future problems," McVey wrote in an email to the I-Team.
It was the fourth special incident report documenting inmate violence against another inmate or staff in 2022, according to River City's reports provided to ODRC. McVey said no charges were filed in those cases.
"We only press charges on residents if they escape," McVey wrote in an email to the I-Team. "If there is an incident between staff or another resident, it is up to that staff or resident to file the charges. Since January of 2022 no one has taken this action."
The I-Team began investigating River City after a police officer shot and killed Thomas Cromwell during a July 11 standoff at a Mason motel. The investigation has focused on if River City is the appropriate environment for some of the inmates housed there.
"They're putting people in there that shouldn't be there," Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters told the I-Team. "It's a recipe for disaster."
Tina Newsome, who lives next to one of River City's outer walls, said she and other neighbors didn't know the facility admitted violent offenders.
"It's very nerve-wracking to me," Camp Washington resident Tina Newsome said. "It's gonna put me more on alert."
The I-Team asked McVey for an on-camera interview six times in recent weeks. He declined to be interviewed. He answered questions the I-Team emailed to him.
"River City continues to review our practices, improve our facility security and increase our training for staff," McVey wrote in an email to the I-Team. "Previously I addressed in interviews that we have made adjustments to improve our practices to be a better place and partner for our community and for the courts. We will continue to do so in order to try and prevent further incidents."
River City is one of 18 community-based correctional facilities (CBCF) in Ohio, according to the ODRC.
According to Ohio state statutes, CBCFs are supposed to help reduce the prison population, cut the cost of incarceration, give offenders better transitions into their communities and provide public safety.
The facilities — including River City — generally focus on lower-risk nonviolent felony offenders who are believed to be more likely to succeed in a minimum-security facility that provides treatment and eventually the opportunity to work off-site, according to ODRC.
But Deters said he's concerned about River City being used as a "dumping ground" for parole violators.
The I-Team confirmed that those parole violators include offenders who served their most recent prison sentences for violent crimes that include rape, felonious assault, aggravated assault and aggravated robbery.
"It's scary," Deters said. "It's a mockery of the system."
On July 15, McVey emailed a current River City inmate roster to the I-Team. A week later, River City emailed a current roster to Deters' office.
Court documents and ODRC records show at least 20 of the inmates named on the River City rosters were under APA supervision after their release from prison for committing violent crimes.
In an email, McVey confirmed the APA-supervised inmates "violated a condition of their parole so they were referred to us or a halfway house."
The violent offenders at River City include 24-year-old Christopher Binford, who was convicted of an armed robbery at Pleasant Ridge Chili in 2017. Surveillance video showed him holding a gun inches from a waitress' face.
Since his release from prison in August 2020, court records show Binford has been convicted of disorderly conduct and attempted aggravated menacing — both misdemeanors. In the two unrelated incidents, court records show victims claimed he threatened them.
In March, a woman told police Binford threatened to shoot her at her job. Judge Mike Peck sentenced Binford to 90 days in jail, with 78 days suspended and credit for 12 days already served.
"Once convicted and released by the court, the Adult Parole Authority determined that an additional sanction to an incarcerate setting would be appropriate and referred him to the CBCF as a sanction to that misdemeanor conviction," ODRC spokeswoman JoEllen Smith wrote in an email responding to the I-Team's questions.
Binford is not one of the inmates involved in the incidents identified in the special incident reports for 2022.
Cromwell, the escapee shot and killed during the recent standoff, was sentenced in 2015 to six years in prison for shooting a man in his chest during a robbery, according to court records.
He was released from prison and placed on APA supervision in May 2021, according to the ODRC website.
Six months after his release from prison, Cromwell slapped a baby across the face and repeatedly spat on the child's face, according to a criminal complaint.
Cromwell was convicted of assault and endangering a child — both misdemeanors. Judge Gwen Bender sentenced him to 180 days of confinement.
After Cromwell served his sentence in jail, APA referred him to River City "for an additional period of incarceration up to 180 days at the facility as a sanction for his violation behavior," Smith wrote in an email to the I-Team.
"APA may refer appropriate violators for community-based incarceration, however, APA cannot require a CBCF to take a parole/PRC violator," Smith wrote. "CBCFs have the discretion to decline these individuals if they choose."
APA is required to only "consider" returning a violator to prison if the "new violation involves weapons, physical harm or attempted serious physical harm to another person, or sexual misconduct," according to Smith.
McVey did not respond directly to questions about why River City admitted violent parole violators — including those not from the Cincinnati area — if the facility wasn't required to do so. However, during the most recent River City board of directors meeting on July 21, McVey discussed his philosophy on admitting offenders with records showing more significant issues in their past.
"A person's record, while we do look at that, it's not indicative of their current charge that got them here," McVey said.
River City is owned by Hamilton County and funded almost entirely by ODRC. The facility is governed by nine civilian board members.
The Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas appoints six board members. Four of them are criminal defense attorneys.
Hamilton County Commissioners approve the appointments of the other three members of the board.
During the River City board meeting on July 21, two board members — Joe Trauth and Deanna Hoskins — responded to a previous I-Team story about River City admitting inmates with recent convictions for violent crimes.
"I keep hearing from the press that we admit violent people and that's not the case," Trauth said.
Trauth was appointed to the board by the Court of Common Pleas.
Hoskins, a new board member whose appointment was approved by the Hamilton County Commissioners, said "fear-mongering" about River City's inmates was unjustified.
"People were released to the community because they pose no threat," Hoskins said. "Those people don't come here."
Court-appointed board member Dr. Carla Dreyer said River City does have inmates with histories of violence.
"We are getting people that probably would have been sent to prison 10-15 years ago," she said. "They're not sending as many people to prison."
Trauth and Hoskins declined the I-Team's request for additional comment.
River City doesn't have a board member representing law enforcement or a prosecutor's office.
"They're not interested in what prosecutors think," Deters said.
Violent incidents at River City in 2022
Deters insists that River City isn't equipped or staffed to handle violent offenders.
The facility is minimum security and even though resident supervisors at community-based correctional facilities are required to complete ODRC training, they don’t have to be certified corrections officers, which requires additional training that must be completed at an academy.
River City's internal records and surveillance video document how staff had difficulty controlling inmates during some incidents.
Jan. 17 – At around 5:40 p.m., an inmate "became very aggressive and started banging on the cell door," according to a special incident report.
"F*** you," the inmate told a River City resident supervisor. "You fat b****."
The inmate grabbed the employee around the neck and was on top of the employee in a "physical altercation," according to the incident report.
The employee called for help. A second employee tried to get the inmate off of the staffer, but the altercation continued.
The second employee also called for assistance. Two more employees arrived and helped get control of the inmate.
ODRC records show the inmate was under APA supervision.
McVey said the inmate was discharged from River City on Jan. 18.
Jan. 27 – at approximately 11:45 a.m., an inmate refused to follow a resident supervisor's order to leave the kitchen area, according to a special incident report.
The inmate told the employee he was "going to beat his a**."
After that, the inmate pushed the employee and took two swings at him, the internal review found.
The resident supervisor struck the inmate in the face, then several staff responded, handcuffed the inmate, took him to segregation and checked him for injuries, then took the inmate to a hospital.
ODRC records show the inmate was under APA supervision.
McVey said the inmate was discharged from River City on Jan. 27.
May 11 – Inmates helped restrain an inmate who had walked up on another inmate, according to a special incident report.
Staff arrived at a call for assistance and the inmate threatened to shoot and spit on resident supervisors.
The inmate resisted and refused to let two staffers put handcuffs on him, according to the report. They fell to the floor, then finally got control of the inmate.
According to the report, the inmate was taken to segregation.
McVey said the inmate was discharged from River City on May 11.
June 17 – ODRC records show several of the inmates involved in the incidents mentioned at the beginning of this story, including the inmate who punched the inmate, were under APA supervision, according to ODRC records.
River City did not disclose the extent of injuries suffered by the inmate who was punched.
"When a resident is sentenced to River City it is a violation of that sentence if they are negatively removed for any reason such as noncompliance in program participation or in cases you have reviewed for fighting," McVey wrote in an email to the I-Team. "The process on our end is very simple in that we contact the Probation or Parole officer explain that we are negatively discharging for rules violation and request they pick them up. Once picked up they become the authority in charge of them and River City is no longer involved."
A lack of transparency?
Last week, the Hamilton County website page for River City showed the next board meeting was scheduled for July 21. That was a month ago.
Unlike the public websites for many other community-based correctional facilities examined by the I-Team, Hamilton County's website page for River City provides no detailed information about the facility.
The Hamilton County website doesn't mention the treatment and employment programs. It also doesn't provide copies of public reports that include inspections and programming reviews available on some CBCF websites in Ohio.
You can find some of that information on the ODRC website.
On July 14, McVey told the I-Team that River City's inmate roster wasn't a public record because it was a "treatment facility."
The I-Team told him River City is actually a "correctional center that provides treatment" and that the roster of the convicted felons ordered to be there was a public record.
McVey emailed an inmate roster the next day.
After ODRC provided the I-Team with copies of River City's Special Incident reports for 2022, the I-Team filed a records request with River City for copies of the video documenting those incidents.
On Aug. 4, McVey told the I-Team, "I personally have reviewed the camera footage and have double-checked with my IT guy that we no longer have the footage you are requesting."
The I-Team told him that we were surprised River City didn't download and save video documenting the most serious incidents, including assaults on inmates and staff. We also asked if he had checked to see if other individuals to see if they had the video.
On Aug. 10, McVey insisted, "I do not have the video and it’s not on our system. I verified this with our IT guy. I have inquired with our operations director and chief of security if they have any."
Several hours later that day, McVey sent another email.
"My security chief did locate the video from June 17 he had saved on his desk top," McVey wrote.
McVey insisted that River City doesn't have copies of video of the other incidents in 2022.
River City downloaded the video of two additional incidents and provided those to ODRC, but the videos are not public record because the inmates were on parole, according to ODRC spokeswoman JoEllen Smith.
So, ODRC refused to provide a copy of those videos to the I-Team.
The I-Team has requested an interview with ODRC, but the department has not provided someone to answer our questions on-camera.
We also requested comment from Hamilton County's three elected commissioners because they approved the appointment of one-third of River City's board.
But the commissioners — Stephanie Summerow Dumas, Alicia Reece, and Denice Driehaus — didn't provide a comment or agree to be interviewed.
The only response came from Reece's Chief of Staff Quentin Monroe who referred us to county spokeswoman Bridget Doherty.
In an email, Doherty told us that the Court of Common Pleas was planning to release a statement.
In that statement, Patrick Dressing, the Court's administrator, mentioned that the court "is aware" of media reports on recent escapes and the "makeup of the residents."
"The Court is committed to protecting the public while residents receive their treatment," Dressing wrote. "The Court will continue to monitor the situation as River City works through these issues."
