Nationwide — A United States Postal Service worker was caught on digicam, nonetheless in uniform, bodily assaulting a 10-year-old lady outdoors Ben Franklin Elementary College in Cleveland, Ohio. The incident passed off final September, simply after the college day ended. Regardless of clear video proof and a police report detailing the altercation, the case sat unresolved for months because of a sequence of procedural missteps.Based on the report filed by an officer with the Cleveland Metropolitan College District (CMSD) Police Division, the younger lady mentioned she was initially attacked by one other scholar utilizing a guide bag whereas strolling to her college bus. She then claimed the coed’s mom, a USPS employee, escalated the state of affairs by intervening bodily. The officer’s report states the lady shoved the lady to the bottom and referred to as her a derogatory identify, inflicting the kid to hit her head on a close-by tree.
Based on Cleveland 19 Information, alhough the officer recognized a number of potential fees—together with assault, youngster endangerment, delinquency of a minor, and prison conduct on college grounds—no arrest was made, and the USPS worker’s identify was withheld as a result of absence of formal fees. The officer referred the case to the Cleveland metropolis prosecutor, nevertheless it was mistakenly despatched to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Workplace as a substitute, which solely handles felony-level offenses.
On November 14, 2024, Assistant County Prosecutor Debora Brewer responded with a letter stating the case didn’t meet the brink for felony prosecution and suggested CMSD police to refer it to the town’s prosecutor for potential misdemeanor fees. Regardless of that advice, the case was by no means forwarded as instructed. It wasn’t till April 16, 2025—after inquiries by information station WOIO—that the town prosecutor’s workplace obtained the related paperwork.
A spokesperson for the town prosecutor confirmed they’d no data of the case till CMSD despatched the studies on April 17, practically seven months after the preliminary incident. The town prosecutor’s workplace is now ready to fulfill with CMSD police to debate potential fees, noting that CMSD has indicated a need to pursue the matter. Nonetheless, no definitive actions have been taken since that trade.
When contacted by WOIO, the postal worker declined to remark. The U.S. Postal Service additionally distanced itself from the incident, with Cleveland-based Postal Inspector Ian Ortega stating the matter falls beneath native jurisdiction, as the worker was off-duty, although nonetheless in uniform. CMSD has not offered an evidence for the delay in forwarding the case till prompted by media involvement.