Your access to this service has been limited If you think you have been blocked in error contact the owner of this site for assistance If you are a WordPress user with administrative privileges on this site please enter your email address in the box below and click "Send" You will then receive an email that helps you regain access Wordfence is a security plugin installed on over 5 million WordPress sites The owner of this site is using Wordfence to manage access to their site You can also read the documentation to learn about Wordfence's blocking tools or visit wordfence.com to learn more about Wordfence Click here to learn more: Documentation 6 May 2025 7:31:40 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString()); faces a possible life sentence after a jury found him guilty of murdering Christian Collier following a dispute about seeing a shared romantic partner.David Petkiewicz shot and killed Christian Collier amid a dispute over a romantic partner on April 1 Ward was arrested nine days after the shooting and indicted on charges of murder shooting near a prohibited premises and tampering with evidence Following a trial that began Monday before Common Pleas Judge Lauren Moore he was found guilty on all counts except tampering will face the possibility of life in prison when Moore sentences him June 2 and Ward had both been romantically involved with a woman who was in the hospital at the time of the murder while visiting the woman in the hospital on April 1 Collier drove to Ward’s nearby residence about 8 p.m near Harvard Avenue and Warrensville Center Road Prosecutors said Collier stood on the road next to his parked vehicle and yelled about being denied entry to the hospital Ward stepped onto his front porch and yelled back before retrieving an AR-style rifle from inside the home Prosecutors said Ward then fired seven rounds with two of them striking the back of Collier’s head and several entering a residence across the street occupied by an elderly man First responders transported Collier to a local hospital Prosecutors said Ward fled the scene on foot and was later captured by the U.S Court records show Ward has pending charges of felony possession of methamphetamine and obstructing official business The indictment indicates the offenses took place on April 10 the day he was arrested in connection with Collier’s murder declined to comment on the case ahead of sentencing Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices Ohio — An Ohio Department of Health survey found the Avenue at Warrensville Care and Rehabilitation Center failed to provide "adequate supervision" to prevent Alvera Meuti which resulted in "Immediate Jeopardy" and "actually harm leading to death." no one realized Meuti was outside the building until it was too late "The facility failed to have adequate and effective systems in place to ensure the resident's safety and supervisory needs were met," even though an assessment determined she was at risk of elopement RELATED: Elderly woman dies from hypothermia after being found outside Warrensville Heights nursing facility It also revealed one of two doors Meuti pushed open to get outside was equipped with an alarm recalled or admitted de-activating the alarm" or "hearing any door alarm." The report also found two staff members failed to report that Meuit was missing A nursing assistant said "he did not see" Meuti in her room at 4:00 a.m on Christmas Eve but "forgot to tell his nurse." News 5 Investigators previously reported that the nurse assigned to Meuti's room Henderson told police she assumed Meuti was with her brother for the holiday but admitted there was no record of anyone signing her out of the facility RELATED: Nurse faces felony charge after elderly patient dies from hypothermia at Warrensville Heights nursing facility Henderson was charged with one felony count of involuntary manslaughter and two misdemeanors in Bedford Municipal Court last month Her case was bound over to Cuyahoga County according to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office News 5 reached out to the Avenue at Warrensville Heights Care and Rehabilitation Center and its parent company about the state's survey Tuesday afternoon Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInWARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS Ohio (WOIO) - One person was transported to the hospital Tuesday evening after being burned in an apartment fire When firefighters arrived in the 4400 block of Granada Blvd smoke and flames were coming out of one side of the building Firefighters said they pulled a line through the front door and quickly knocked it down before it spread An additional line was pulled to the second floor The victim’s name and condition have not been released and firefighters said the cause remains under investigation Canfield’s Ben Weaver finishes a layup during a win over Ursuline on Dec the Canfield boys basketball team defeated Warrensville Heights 68-46 at the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse to advance to the Division II the Cardinals travel back to Canton and face Warrensville Heights once again with a Division IV regional title game berth on the line Canfield coach Andy Vlajkovich expects the Tigers to come in with a different mindset than last year “I think anytime you lose to somebody there’s always a revenge factor if you come from a prideful program I’m sure there will be [something extra to play for] I would expect there to be,” Vlajkovich said which defeated the Tigers on the back of a dominant final 10 minutes is because many of the players have been here before “because the emotions are just so different And you cannot prepare — coaches don’t have drills for how to get your team through a district final “…All these big games aren’t as much about the X’s and O’s as much they are about how kids and coaches handle their emotions and their mental outlook So I think the greatest preparation we got for this moment was to be in the same situation last year we kind of knew how to handle the bumps along the road because we’ve driven this path before.” The path to Thursday’s game has been relatively smooth for the Cardinals who enter having won 21 of their 25 games this season had to endure one of its lowest-scoring games of the year in its Northeast 2 district championship tilt vs its second-worst offensive output of the season they limited the Warriors to 28 points to earn their spot in Canton Vlajkovich said his team’s goal is to play an “efficient,” up-tempo brand of basketball but they are prepared for whatever kind of game — high or low-scoring I don’t think myself or our locker room care whether it’s 35 or 75 [points],” Vlajkovich said I think you have to win with multiple styles and not be too much of a one-trick pony — only being able to score The varying nature of playoff games adds another layer of unpredictability and chaos to the postseason and further necessitates urgency and focus from each team wanting to advance to the next round Vlajkovich said short-term goal-setting and not looking too far ahead has greatly benefited the Cardinals during this run “We talked a lot about our long-term goals at the beginning of the season and we knew that we had the capabilities of being in this game,” Vlajkovich said “But as I’ve told a lot of people these aren’t seven-game series; these are one-game series Anybody can beat anybody on any given day … I do think our staff has prepared them to see this one game and I think that our locker room has really bought into that “We’re a confident basketball team because we know that if we play right But we’re also a humble enough basketball team to know that if we don’t play right who sat one seat down a year ago as then-Canfield head coach John Cullen’s lead assistant is hopeful that one or a few of his players will “step up” tonight just as they have done all season long to get them to this point The Cardinals coach emphasized the importance of rebounding as well as limiting turnovers and thus Warrensville Heights’ fast-break opportunities The Tigers enter the game with a 19-5 record after having beaten Marlington in overtime of the Northeast 4 district title game on March 1 The Cardinals and Tigers will tip off at approximately 8 p.m Akron Buchtel and Cleveland Glenville face each other in the other Region 13 semifinal at 6 p.m The winner of that game will play either Canfield or Warrensville Heights on Saturday at 4 p.m | https://www.tribtoday.com | 240 Franklin Street SE Ohio — Warrensville Heights police said they are investigating how an elderly woman ended up dead 10 hours after she went missing from a skilled nursing facility was found outside of the Avenue at Warrensville Care & Rehabilitation Center around 7:30 a.m According to a Warrensville Heights police report obtained by News 5 Investigators the woman was last seen by a nurse at 8:40 p.m The nurse told police that Meuti "seemed normal and was talking while sitting in her wheelchair." the second nurse noticed Meuti was "not in her room." she failed to alert anyone about her absence She told police she assumed Meuti went for a visit with her brother even though the visitors' log showed "no visitors came inside the hospital to visit Alvera." the nurse said she "attempted to call" Meuti's brother "multiple times," but he did not answer The report said the nurse repeatedly stated the nurse said she told a colleague that Meuti was missing The colleague quickly issued a "Code Purple," which is used to sweep the building and alert authorities when a patient goes missing The report said an officer arrived at approximately 7:30 a.m While waiting for the facility's administrator He wrote that nurses led him outside to the center's patio where they found "Alvera laying on her back." The officer wrote that she was "unresponsive" and cold to the touch." The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's website lists her cause of death as "Environmental exposure with hypothermia." The facility's administrator told police that the security cameras only captured common areas The administrator also told police their doors have alarms that sound when a door is opened but staff members do not receive notifications when the alarms go off We called the Avenue at Warrensville Care & Rehabilitation Center for a comment Thursday morning Warrensville Heights officials declined our requests for an on-camera interview They said the police investigation is ongoing Each year on and around Pearl Harbor Day—commemorating the December 7 1941 surprise attack by Japanese forces on the Pearl Harbor U.S Hawaii—there are several days of remembrance moments and events As flags fly at half-staff around the nation as a symbol of respect and remembrance, the young Clevelanders in the two marching bands will take part in the remembrance by performing in the 2024 Pearl Harbor WWII Memorial Parade in Honolulu this Saturday band director of Shaw High School Marching Band in East Cleveland says he is thinking in the big picture as he prepares the Mighty Cardinals band for the trip of a lifetime Shaw High School Marching Band performs at Lone Sailor statue unveiling in Voinovich Park in October 2024 under direction of Randy Woods“To have the opportunity to to put ourselves in a space to honor our veterans and those who are currently serving—it’s a beautiful thing,” Woods says proudly but there’s a greater good we’re trying to accomplish.” The school was invited to attend by Historic Programs which plays a large role in organizing groups to perform in the parade While the Shaw band is made up mostly of high school students there are 60 talented members that span grades three through 12 “Look closely and you’ll see a lot of small members,” Woods explains “We’re actually a district band and we all play together.” The youngest students will join their older bandmates to take in the historical experience as they showcase their musical talents he says this trip will be an experience he will keep close to his heart as he leads the group I think this is an incredible opportunity for our students,” Woods explains “Most adults don’t even get that opportunity to travel there For them to be able to do this and prepare for this and actually do well there – it’s incredible.” The Warrensville Heights High School (WHHS) Marching Band will head to Hawaii this week to showcase their local talent in a national Warrensville Heights High School band director Donshon Wilson and band member Nadia KellyWarrensville Heights’ Tiger Band will make the journey to Honolulu this week alongside Shaw and also play in the annual 2024 Pearl Harbor WWII Memorial Parade A representative from the Pearl Harbor Foundation called the school and offered the invitation to perform in Hawaii citing marching band director Donshon Wilson’s leadership and his success in the band program over the past four years “It’s pretty cool—[Wilson] just stopped practice and he was running around,” says band member and WHHS junior Wilson has watched his 60 students grow under his direction He calls them “scholars” and treats them as such To travel and compete nationally during the season the band members need to keep up their grade point averages to stay in the band adding that their perseverance has paid off with the opportunity to respectfully commemorate the events at Pearl Harbor “We’re really hoping for our students to understand opportunities like this,” he says I’m even excited for the plane ride!” The significance of playing in the band on National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is not lost on her so it’s very much an honor and I feel very privileged in that they asked us,” Kelly reflects while wearing her band uniform Woods says he and his Shaw band members are excited and ready to hop on a plane after waiting years for this opportunity “We were actually invited a few years back,” he shares the band wasn’t able to pull together funding to go The opportunities really started to roll in so we’re very grateful.” Woods says one of those opportunities came in October. “KeyBank made a very generous donation for the trip,” he recalls so it’s great to have this connection in our community and have the opportunity to be a recipient of their good graces.” is part of a group of staff and family members who are veterans in both active and reserve military who volunteer and spend time and energy on military-related causes The marching bands’ invites to the Pearl Harbor memorial parade fell in line with the group’s mission “Our arts teams—they’re a craft I feel are underappreciated and at times “It’s near and dear to me and I personally wanted to make sure it’s a moment we supported and they’re a good representation of Cleveland in Hawaii.” While the Shaw band’s trip is booked and they’ll board a flight on December 5 there’s still a need for additional fundraising to close the gap—even after much support by businesses and others “The total price tag for the entire trip is approximately $250,000,” says Woods While the district provided what the band needed to make the trip happen they’re still taking donations to offset that cost in the amount of around $75,000 with approximately the same number of students making the trip as Shaw If you’d like to contribute to the Shaw High School Marching Band’s trip to Hawaii you can call Shaw High School at (216) 268-6500 to make a donation arrangement Checks can be made out to “East Cleveland city schools—Shaw band to Hawaii” and mailed to Shaw High School Warrensville Heights High School Marching Band is also accepting Online contributions for its trip CONTESTED SHOT … Sophia Rupp gets off a shot in the first half of the Indians’ Division IV regional semifinal at Norwalk High School 2025) – Entering Wednesday night’s Division IV regional semifinal at Norwalk High School the Warrensville Heights Tigers had been putting up some staggering numbers Their 18 regular season wins were by an average of 37 points per game and they had won their three tournament games by a combined score of 231-70 A scrappy bunch of Wauseon Indians went toe-to-toe with the Tigers but a third quarter surge by Warrensville Heights proved too much to overcome as Wauseon fell A layup by Tigers’ freshman Skyler Ballard opened the scoring but Wauseon quickly responded with 6-0 run as Sophia Rupp scored on a rebound and Mackenzie Stasa added two buckets to make it 6-2 Stasa later hit from deep and had a three-point play off a curl move in the lane as a first quarter that saw six lead changes would end tied at 15 Warrensville Heights quickly went to work in the second as Wauseon would come out in a zone with a corner triple from Adriana Moses and then a bucket inside by Taniyah Lewis-Gaines to make it 20-15 Stasa’s big first half continued as she connected on a three-ball from the top of the key before Tamara Thomas matched her for the Tigers to push the lead back to five at 23-18 The back and forth first half continued with Wauseon drawing to within one point on three occasions and a Johanna Tester score in the lane just before the horn The Indians were 12/19 from the field in the first half The game would turn in third quarter as a Reyes free throw gave Wauseon their last lead of the night at 31-30 before the Tigers used a combination of Wauseon turnovers and their own three-point shooting to stretch the lead Katherine McKormick started the aerial assault with triples from each wing to give the Tigers a 36-31 advantage A Reyes put back and a Rupp trey sandwiched around a score from Demarionna Branch for Warrensville Heights kept the Indians close at 38-36 The Tigers closed the decisive quarter with a 10-0 run to take a 48-36 lead to the fourth as Branch was 2/2 at the line Thomas and McKormick hit consecutive triples and Mariah Paris-Grant had a layup The Tigers were 6/11 shooting in the third with four triples while Wauseon cooled off “They hit some key shots on back to back possessions to swing the momentum,” said Wauseon head coach Shelly Borton when talking about the pivotal third frame Warrensville Heights started the final stanza content to bleed the clock by spreading the floor on offense The Indians capitalized with Aizlynn Coronado getting a layup off a Stasa theft and Reyes scored down low to make it 48-40 The Tigers shooting went cold as they returned to being aggressive missing several shots at the rim and Tester got a steal and bucket and then a short jumper to trim the Tigers lead to 49-44 with 49.1 remaining The Tigers then sealed the win with their only basket of the fourth on a Paris-Grant lay in after beating the Indians’ full court press to put the final margin at 51-44 Stasa finished with 16 to lead all scorers while Tester added 10 The Tigers (22-4) had two in doubles figures with McKormick tallying 12 and Paris-Grant had 10 They accomplished so many of their goals and I couldn’t be prouder of them,” said Borton when commenting on Wauseon’s season coming to an end at 21-5 “I can’t say enough about our senior class and the mark they have left on our program We will miss them tremendously and wish them the best of luck in all they do!” Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInCLEVELAND Ohio (WOIO) - The nurse charged in the death of an 84-year-old woman at a Warrensville rehabilitation center was arraigned Thursday morning and Judge Deborah Turner set her bond at $2,500 RELATED: Nurse indicted on charges related to death of 84-year-old woman at Warrensville rehabilitation center The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor announced on March 26 that a grand jury has indicted Henderson for the death of 84-year-old Alvera Meuri a resident of the Avenue at Warrensville Care and Rehabilitation Center Amber Henderson began her shift and received her resident assignment gave her report to Henderson and said Alvera was unable to walk by herself and that she last checked on her around 8:40 p.m Amber Henderson went to check on Alvera in her room and noticed she was not there Henderson assumed she left the facility with her family and continued her shift Henderson attempted to call Alvera’s family to check if she was with them Henderson told her supervisor she had not seen Alvera her entire shift The Warrensville Heights Police Department was then called to the facility other nurses found Alvera outside on the patio Warrensville Heights EMS responded to the scene and transported Alvera to a nearby hospital The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner ruled Alvera’s death a result of hypothermia Further investigation conducted by the WHPD revealed the following information Every new nurse receives four weeks of training – which includes what to do if a resident is missing It is also required for the nurses to check the residents every two hours Henderson falsified completing several tasks that were required to be administered to Alvera every door should have a keypad and be locked There was an unlocked door near Alvera’s room that led to a staircase and the patio where Alvera was found making it impossible for Alvera to go back inside Henderson did not report Alvera missing throughout her shift until 6:30 a.m Amber Henderson was indicted on the following charges: A Cuyahoga Grand Jury indicted a nurse over the death of a patient at a Warrensville Heights facility 84-year-old Alvera Meuti was found outside of the Avenue at Warrensville Care & Rehabilitation Center after she went missing but 32-year-old nurse Amber Henderson waited nine hours to report she was missing Meuti was found "cold to the touch" on the center's patio The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office determined she died from hypothermia Henderson was previously charged with involuntary manslaughter including involuntary manslaughter and patient neglect .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Matt Goul, cleveland.comCANTON Ohio — Bryon Ottrix fought back the tears from gushing out By the time Glenville’s comeback settled in one of his assistants yelled at him to get off the phone as his name was called to collect a regional championship medal Glenville had just defeated Warrensville Heights on Saturday in the OHSAA Division IV boys basketball regional finals at the Canton Memorial Field House our school and our community,” Ottrix said as he watched them cut the nets “We always start in the back and we are always counted out To be able to show that we can achieve things like this our kids can play at this level and we can play the game Final: Glenville 50, Warrensville Heights 40Tarblooders are heading to the state semifinals for the first time. pic.twitter.com/2rXa5f6ZsU Glenville is accustomed to deep tournament runs in football while making its third regional appearance in the last four years the Tarblooders (19-7) are headed to a state semifinal in this sport for the first time That looked unlikely when Warrensville Heights (20-6) opened the game on a 14-2 run The Tigers sought their first state final four appearance since 2001 when second-year coach Demetrius “Mechie” Johnson Sr as their 3-pointers kept falling (six in the first half) but Glenville clawed back into contention with three steals by sophomore Jahi Hobson “We knew they were going to have high energy and we knew we just had to stay the course They started the third quarter by continuing that defensive effort initiated by Hobson who finished with four steals and 11 points off the bench Warrensville managed just three points in the third quarter on one shot by senior point guard Noah Chambers and didn’t score again until the 2:45 mark of the fourth quarter Glenville’s lead approached double digits and nearly out of reach but we didn’t give in,” said senior forward Xavier Vickerstaff who scored a game-high 16 points with nine rebounds Xavier Vickerstaff found Jahi Hobson on this 3-pointer as part of @ghs_tarblooder’s second-quarter rally. pic.twitter.com/lzC9NMjA8H Vickerstaff made sure the Tarblooders’ lead was out of reach with his second 3-pointer of the night Junior point guard Theo Castro found him for one of the knockout blows including a buzzer-beater by Nelson to end the third quarter as Glenville slowly separated itself on the scoreboard Here’s a look at it. pic.twitter.com/lAnStVMtIy He won a state title as a sophomore and returned to the state semifinals last fall “I watched many great teams come here and couldn’t finish it Now I’m blessed to be in a position to be the first to do it.” Glenville will wait to find out who it will play next Saturday in the state semifinals If the OHSAA aligns its matchups based on geography it should play Hawken after first-year coach Anthony Burns' squad came away from Bowling Green with a 63-58 win against Jonathan Alder Whoever faces Glenville must contend with a team that shut down Warrensville for nearly the entire second half The Tigers finished just 16 of 48 from the floor That included 1 of 11 in the third quarter and 6 of 26 in the second half It’s just been about putting it together and just mentally having the head and mind to go out there and do it.” Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on X (@mgoul), Threads (@mgoul) or email (mgoul@cleveland.com) Final: Glenville 50, Warrensville Heights 40Tarblooders are heading to the state semifinals for the first time. pic.twitter.com/2rXa5f6ZsU Xavier Vickerstaff found Jahi Hobson on this 3-pointer as part of @ghs_tarblooder’s second-quarter rally. pic.twitter.com/lzC9NMjA8H Here’s a look at it. pic.twitter.com/lAnStVMtIy OH - The Saint Ignatius Wildcats opened their 2024-25 campaign on Saturday against the Warrensville Heights Tigers with a 76-70 victory their first in the quest to repeat as State Champions The first-ever match up between the Wildcats and the Tigers certainly lived up to the hype which advanced to the Division II regional semifinal last season chipped away at the Wildcats' lead in the third behind the play making of senior Noah Chambers who returned three key contributors from last year's championship squad committing uncharacteristic turnovers and missing free throws down the stretch However, senior Kalli Johnson helped the Wildcats maintain their advantage with several late rebounds and put back layups Johnson said it felt good to start the season with a win but the Wildcats have plenty of areas to improve including limiting turnovers in the second half "We've just got to work on free throws and finishing at the end of the game," explains Johnson looks forward to opening the home portion of the schedule on Saturday when Westerville North comes to Sullivan Gym for a 3:30 p.m Friery said one of the team's goals is to go undefeated at home and pursue another state title "We know we're getting everyone's best shot," Friery says "So we've got to beat Westerville to be able to do that." Coming off an 83-47 win over a highly rated Richmond Heights Westerville North should provide a good early test for the defending champions Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Senior Taebien Anderson led the effort with 15 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer and some big baskets in that third quarter for the Tigers (4-1), who are 12th in the cleveland.com boys basketball Top 25 See how it unfolded in the videos above and below hear from Anderson with senior teammates Noah Chambers Zyaire Chaney and coach Demetrius “Mechie” Johnson Sr Chambers added 13 points with seven rebounds and four assists Chaney provided a game-high 13 rebounds for Warrensville while sophomore Jaylen Jackson led Lorain (1-3) with 13 points and nine rebounds while senior point guard Aven Kielian scored five points with six assists Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on X (@mgoul), Threads (@mgoul) or email (mgoul@cleveland.com) It’s more of a business trip than a field trip The Warrensville Heights High School Marching Band has been invited to be a part of the 2024 Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade on Dec The Tiger Band was selected by the parade committee in part because of its “history of performance excellence as well as students who represent the spirit of American youth and good citizenship.” Donshon Wilson has been the marching band director for three years There were 12 students in the band when he started They’re all working three hours every day this summer to get ready for the upcoming school year and the trip to Hawaii “The stories that they will be able to tell the memories that they will be able to keep… it’s going to be a lifetime,” Donshon said The band has a history of winning competitions and this latest invitation is the latest honor for a group of hard-working students and we’ve got to work hard so we could go on this Hawaii trip,” Warrensville Heights High School Junior Nadia Kelly told News 5 “It’s a family,” said Senior Joshua Johnson and we just bring them into our arms.”        More than half the band members have never been on a plane for the biggest performance of their lives “It means growth and opportunity,” Wilson said There is a big price tag for this trip, and the band is currently fundraising to help defer the cost. If you’d like to help the Tiger Band get to Hawaii, you can donate here The Falcons (5-1) failed to score for nearly six minutes in the third quarter as Warrensville Heights (6-1) took control and held on for a 65-61 win In addition to Chambers’ efforts that netted him MVP honors fellow senior guard Taebien Anderson scored 16 points with eight rebounds Camden Hill added 12 points off the bench with some hustle plays on defense Crumble led Lutheran East with 19 points and eight rebounds while freshman guard Dylan Zeigler scored 18 points Watch the highlights above and hear from Chambers with Hill and Warrensville Heights coach Demetrius “Mechie” Johnson Sr The NEO Youth Christmas Classic continues Saturday 28 with a doubleheader of Glenville (5-2) vs Cleveland Central Catholic (5-1) at 6 p.m. Here is a rundown of the top performers and results from the first two days of the event: Euclid 37 — MVP: Damari Damons with 29 points Hawken 46 — MVP: Chaz Coleman with 28 points Glenville 62— MVP Jaylohn Allen: 26 points Cleveland Heights 66 — MVP Marcus Johnson: 23 points Benedictine 70 — MVP Quinn “Turtle” Kwasniak: 35 points Revere 54 — MVP Terrell Pollard: 18 points Maple Heights 69 — co-MVP King Young: 24 points four assists; co-MVP Donovan Driscal: 23 points Joseph 60 — MVP Jakaris Shelton: 18 points Lutheran East 61 — MVP Noah Chambers: 19 points Elyria 52 — MVP Carlos Medlock Jr.: 22 points The Warrensville Heights mayor is facing criminal charges Mayor Bradley Sellers is charged in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas with petty theft and tampering with evidence Sellers was indicted on the misdemeanor charges by a bill of information which is a prosecutor’s formal accusation of a crime used in place of an indictment by a grand jury Specifics about the incident from six years ago were not available Wednesday At the time, Sellers would have been serving his second term as mayor. The Warrensville Heights native was first elected to the office in November 2011. His biography says he previously worked as the city’s director of development has prioritized the economic development and job creation agenda for the city,” the biography page noted Sellers spent 15 years as a professional basketball player The 7-foot-tall forward was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the mid-1980s In 2022, he made a brief run for Cuyahoga County Executive but suspended his campaign less than two weeks after he announced his candidacy It’s unclear what prompted the investigation into the mayor A special prosecutor from Summit County will try the case in Cuyahoga County “In order to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest this case was referred to a special prosecutor on January 4 2023,” said a representative from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office The representative confirmed the case against Sellers was referred to the Ohio Ethics Commission on January 28 2022 and received the commission’s report back on December 9 The Summit County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the Ohio Ethics Commission shared its findings from its investigation into Sellers but a representative there said the findings could not be shared with News 5 News 5 sent several requests for comment to Mayor Sellers and other leaders in Warrensville Heights At the Warrensville Heights City Hall Wednesday a car was parked in Sellers’ designated parking spot Staff there told News 5 no one was available to comment on the case The court docket says Sellers is scheduled for an arraignment on September 18 Fox 8 Cleveland WJW Warrensville Heights police are investigating the death of an elderly woman after she was found unresponsive outside of the Avenue Warrensville Care and Rehabilitation Center on Christmas Eve Scattered showers are decreasing through the late night and overnight There are still a few leftover showers and storms through late evening There's a new push to install seatbelts on school buses in one local district Akron police said they arrested a 31-year-old man who crashed his car into an apartment building striking a gas meter and prompting an evacuation then rammed a police cruiser multiple times hey're invisible invaders found in the air Tears of joy over a positive pregnancy test quickly turned to tears of fear for a Conneaut woman The National Weather Service has issued Severe Thunderstorm Warnings for Coshocton A major dredging project is now underway along the Cuyahoga River and Cleveland Harbor Army Corps of Engineers and its contractor beginning work to clear out the vital shipping lanes this would have been a very impressive and very important building The same area of low pressure that brought the rain into Northeast Ohio over the weekend will bring in more rain on Monday and Tuesday Scattered to numerous rain showers and storms will develop Monday afternoon/evening A few stronger storms will impact areas mainly for places along and east of I-77 Kenny Crumpton is a guest on the Tales and Trails Metroparks Podcast Ohio — School is back in session and before hitting the practice fields ahead of their upcoming Week 1 game Browns running back Jerome Ford and kicker Dustin Hopkins spent the morning celebrating education with students at Warrensville Heights Elementary School who were supporting the Browns' Stay in the Game program which encourages good attendance and stresses the importance of education opened up the morning answering questions from students in fourth and fifth grade and asking a few of their own The two then split up into teams and played "Minute to Win It" games with the students From rolling cookies down their faces and trying to catch them in their mouths first to trying to wrap up players with an entire roll of streamer paper the fastest laughs and positivity around being in school Having that kind of morning while in school is something Ford knows firsthand can create excitement about education and having good attendance but I think the biggest thing is making sure we encourage them to stay in school," Ford said guys from the NFL coming out from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and just being able to hear it from somebody else other than my teachers and doing what I wanted to do made it a lot easier for me to be like 'Okay gave high-fives and took moments with each kid that approached them "This group today brought some energy," Hopkins said It takes you back to childhood a little bit I even turned to one of the kids while we were sitting down to take a picture and I was like 'I feel like I'm in fifth grade again.' So it's just fun Hopefully it's fun for them but also it's fun for us." Both Ford and Hopkins hope their visit inspires kids in that school to value their education and remain dedicated to going to school That's a message the school appreciates more than the players may know "We do nothing but the best for our scholars here We try to roll out the red carpet to make sure that they understand how much we love them So to see two very great players on the Browns team joining us today it means a lot to us as a staff and it means a lot to our kids," said assistant principal LaKeysha Davis "We hope that they take away the fact that it's very important to be in school," David continued "I said it at the beginning: You miss a day The stakes are set really high against our children and we want to make sure that every day they're getting quality instruction every day they know how important they are as citizens and members of the society and just making sure that they get everything that they can possibly get so we can prepare them for the next grade Ohio (WOIO) - A 22-year-old man was murdered across the street from Warrensville Heights High School The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner said Mahlyk Williams was brought to South Pointe Hospital from the gas station across from the school on Aug Williams was then transferred to MetroHealth Medical Center where he died from his injuries later that day 19 News has reached out to Warrensville Heights police for additional information Bernard Russ listens to Mac Stephens talk in Friday who served as Stephens' defensive coordinator is taking on the Warrensville Heights head coaching job.(Matt Goul .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Matt Goul, cleveland.comWARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS Ohio — Bernard Russ thought his first head coaching job more than 15 years ago at his alma mater until it was disputed because he didn’t teach at his alma mater of Collinwood There are no doubts this time at Warrensville Heights Warrensville made him its football coach Monday after hiring the longtime defensive coach with an NFL background “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” Russ said His resume included two years as an NFL linebacker with the New England Patriots Russ also played briefly for a few more teams plus stints in the Canadian Football League and XFL Quickly after his playing career ended in 2002 he returned to Cleveland as a volunteer coach at Collinwood only to have it taken away a few weeks into the season because of a union dispute in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District Russ quickly found another coaching opportunity at St Edward as a linebackers coach and assistant defensive coordinator for the Eagles’ first state championship run in 2010 Russ followed that up with a 10-year run at Nordonia under head coach Jeff Fox The Knights got back to the state semifinals in 2014 with Russ on staff Russ spent one year at Mayfield before Mac Stephens hired him to be his defensive coordinator at Cleveland Heights for the last two season Stephens, also a former NFL linebacker, left Cleveland Heights last week to take the Garfield Heights job Russ credited his friend for giving him one more preview of what it’s like to lead a football program during stretches of practice this year “He empowered his coaches to be coaches,” Russ said “so he allowed me to go ahead and sometimes play the head coach’s role as far as the discipline practice time management and game planning for us.” Cleveland Heights opened its season this year with a shutout of Trotwood-Madison and had another late in the season at Medina but did so without West Virginia recruit Brandon Caesar available all year at defensive end because of injury The Tigers also missed Minnesota recruit Jay’Quan Stubbs down the stretch because of an injury they won 11 games and the Greater Cleveland Conference championship in Russ’ first season as the defensive coordinator “He’s been around the game for a long time,” Swift said A lot of my very close friends who have coached with him just have spoken highly of him over time Bernard Russ gets in the face of senior tight end Desmond Filey during the first quarter of Nordonia's football game against Mayfield on Friday After more than a decade as one of Northeast Ohio's top defensive coaches Russ is taking over at Warrensville Heights.(Plain Dealer file) Warrensville is coming off a 1-9 season under Bronson Green Swift praised Green’s effort in raising the numbers for the football program which didn’t compete in the Lake Erie League for two years because it could barely field a team with more than 15 players more than doubling Warrensville’s turnout during a season hampered by the coronavirus pandemic he also led the Tigers to their only playoff win that year and maintained a strong turnout despite the wins not continuing Swift said the school informed Green after the season it intended to go in a different direction and began taking applications just before Thanksgiving and now in his third year as the school’s dean of students selecting him became a “no-brainer” to Swift “He is exactly what we need here,” Swift said “I think you hear a lot of good things about our athletes but the one thing we’ve lacked is discipline and I think that’s something that he’ll bring from Day One.” Russ said that discipline is atop his priorities He also wants to build an even bigger turnout after the foundation laid by Green “There’s so much potential and talent in that building,” Russ said “and I think a lot of head coaches make a mistake of not maximizing their pool potential so what I’ve been doing is encouraging kids that you’re going to play we’re going to try and get 490 to play football.” which competes in Division IV as the smallest member of the LEL Ohio — The lessons from Warrensville Heights’ trip to Canton a year ago against Canfield stuck with coach Demetrius “Mechie” Johnson Sr A year after a double-digit loss to the Cardinals in the OHSAA boys basketball regional semifinals they returned to the same stage and put that setback to use with a 50-40 win in the rematch Thursday night at the Canton Memorial Field House in the Division IV tournament “I don’t think we were as disciplined as we were this year,” Johnson said We watched film on them beating us and how they celebrated and how we had to walk off the court with our heads down.” Here’s the finish from @waynenumba24. Watch your feet, @NoahChambers_3. pic.twitter.com/xc35SA3Pff This will mark Warrensville Heights’ first regional final appearance since the 2020 season that was stopped because of the coronavirus pandemic. Johnson took over his alma mater last season, getting them back to regionals for the first time since then, only to fall short with a 68-46 loss the Tigers finished off the Cardinals (21-5) as Zyaire Chaney found Wayne Chappell for a slam dunk They trotted back to the other side of the court and looked toward Canfield’s student section “You don’t want that feeling,” Johnson said Chappell missed last year’s regional matchup with his foot in a walking boot He lifted his team Thursday on both ends of the floor using his 6-foot-6 frame to block three shots He also scored a team-high 11 points and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds Neither team led by more than six points early but Warrensville retook the lead for good on senior guard Tylin Bryant’s second 3-pointer late in the second quarter Chappell added his second slam dunk off the half this time on a feed by senior point guard Noah Chambers Back and forth game, Warrensville Heights retook the lead on Tylin Bryant’s second 3 late in the second quarter. pic.twitter.com/04ZYdXpuwK Half: Warrensville Heights 25, Canfield 22Noah Chambers finds Wayne Chappell to beat the buzzer. Chappell has six points, six rebounds and a block. pic.twitter.com/z46FxjscyH It sent the Tigers into halftime with a 25-22 lead Chambers commanded the offense in half-court sets finishing with 10 points and a pair of assists Chaney added eight points and three assists “We’ve been waiting for him to do this all year,” Chambers said “I knew he was going to come back with vengeance this year.” but the night belonged to Chappell and the Tigers “Wayne told me that he was going to give me the states,” Johnson said and he’s going out his senior year the way he’s supposed to.” Here’s the finish from @waynenumba24. Watch your feet, @NoahChambers_3. pic.twitter.com/xc35SA3Pff Back and forth game, Warrensville Heights retook the lead on Tylin Bryant’s second 3 late in the second quarter. pic.twitter.com/04ZYdXpuwK Half: Warrensville Heights 25, Canfield 22Noah Chambers finds Wayne Chappell to beat the buzzer. Chappell has six points, six rebounds and a block. pic.twitter.com/z46FxjscyH took over his alma mater’s boys basketball program last year at Warrensville Heights he inherited a team coming off a four-win season The Tigers returned few players from that team except for a gritty guard in Taebien Anderson he is one of the Tigers’ leaders after they made it to the OHSAA Division II regional semifinals “I call Taebien, ‘Mr. Do-It-All,’” Johnson said Tuesday night after a 54-43 victory against Lorain That mindset is proving contagious early this season. The Tigers, who are 12th in the cleveland.com rankings have won four straight since a six-point loss to start the season against defending Division I state champion St senior guard Zyaire Chaney has embraced that defensive tenacity then I like to pick it up on defense or help my teammates out,” Chaney said “We’re just trying to learn and buy in as the season goes on.” Chaney grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds Tuesday and has worked his way into the starting lineup Williams and guard and Wayne Chappell at forward with guard Noah Chambers Mary after spending his first two years of high school at Shaker Heights he also has embraced Johnson’s preaching of defense “Everybody is held to the same start to start with: Defense I’m just pushing these guys to get better every day.” ⦁ Coming off its state football championship, Avon finally opened its basketball season Friday with a 63-58 win against North Ridgeville. Of course, those football players made their impact. Nolan Good, the cleveland.com Offensive Player of the Year at quarterback Forward Sam Toniolo pulled down 14 rebounds ⦁ Bedford moved over .500 by taking down No The Arcs’ only other loss came in blowout fashion last week against St but this marks an early signature win for first-year Bedford coach Jermaine Gay ⦁ Aiden Webb’s go-ahead layup in overtime pushed Lake Catholic to a 74-71 win at Benedictine and the Cougars forced the extra period after a technical foul with 0.1 seconds left in regulation allowed them to hit the tying free throws ⦁ Senior guard Thai Duncan put up 44 points in Euclid’s first win at Mayfield ⦁ Senior forward Matt Meyer’s 21 points powered No 11 Lutheran West (4-1) to a 63-54 home victory against Maple Heights .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Matt Goul, cleveland.comCLEVELAND Ohio — In last year’s OHSAA Division II boys basketball tournament Joseph reached the regional semifinals in Canton but in the new Division IV with some hurdles along the way While Warrensville Heights is the highest ranked area team in the cleveland.com boys basketball Top 25 VASJ must get through a bracket that includes Senate League champion Glenville and an opening-round trip to Streetsboro as Cleveland and Akron’s city league champions look to make their run to Dayton in the OHSAA’s new seven-division format Here is your guide through the new postseason in Division IV for Northeast Ohio: Related: Final cleveland.com state rankings Four of the Northeast District’s five brackets lead to the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse on Thursday which will produce a district champion out of North Ridgeville March 8 for both regionals in Canton and Bowling Green (which includes two Northwest District champs and one from Central Ohio) The state semifinal draw will be determined after the regional finals by OHSAA executive director Doug Ute and be based on proximity between the four regional champs which also includes one from Ohio University (with two Southeast District teams one Central District team and one East District team) plus another from Lakota East (with all Southwest District teams) Find all OHSAA tournament brackets here Senate League champion Glenville is the highest seed in this bracket Cloverleaf and Field meet for a chance to likely face the Tarblooders on Tuesday The higher seeds maintain home-court advantage through the district semifinals which will be the second round in these brackets 10 Perry (playing Woodridge) are on the other side of the bracket Streetsboro-VASJ should be the top first-round game in Division IV which leads to Wooster High School for a 4 p.m Akron City Series champion Buchtel is the team to beat in this bracket which will advance to the district semifinals on Feb Benedictine at Bay is the top first-round matchup here while Jefferson Area and Niles McKinley will meet the winner of that one This bracket’s district final at Wooster is slated for 7 p.m Will top-seeded Canfield make the trek to North Ridgeville who reached last year’s regional finals in Division II Clearview plays host to Salem for a chance to play spoiler in the district semifinals and Lake Catholic also are teams that could bust brackets here on the way to a district final March 1 at North Ridgeville 2 overall seed in the Northeast and second in this bracket Coach Demetrius “Mechie” Johnson Sr.’s Tigers could advance and face Marv Rashad’s Orange Lions on Tuesday Orange must first get past Ashtabula Edgewood on their side of the bracket Lorain County League champion Brookside should be considered the front runner to reach this North Ridgeville district final Chambers is a four-year varsity letterwinner between his time at Shaker Heights He has thrived under coach Demetrius “Mechie” Johnson Sr. leading Warrensville to a 17-win regular season and the No West Geauga: Lear eclipsed Josh Irwin’s school scoring record at West Geauga and he has the Wolverines as a threat to keep Canfield from returning to regionals Powell has been a big reason Buchtel is a threat to reach Dayton for the second time in three years His 17.0 points per game leads a balanced squad that includes guard Isaiah McCray and Stevie Diamond one of coach Rayshon Dent’s top contributors since their Division II state-title run of 2023 He is leading the Senate League champions in scoring (16.2 points) and rebounding (8.5 per game) He has played as many varsity games as anyone contributing as a freshman at Cornerstone Christian before two seasons at Mayfield Brookside: The Cardinals’ all-time leading scorer is averaging 22.9 points for the Lorain County League co-champions They have plenty of firepower around the senior guard with Jack Holman and Lutheran East transfer Marquis Capers They could meet Warrensville Heights on March 1 in North Ridgeville for a trip to Canton Brookside has scored 101 points in each of its last two games and broken 90 in its last three The fifth Northeast District will branch to Bowling Green with two Northwest District and one Central District A regional semifinal doubleheader is set for Thursday Northeast District 5 (North Ridgeville District) 3 overall seed from the Northeast and opted for this path west which funnels to Bowling Green after the district finals on March 1 at North Ridgeville Hawken and Elyria Catholic open Friday in this eight-team bracket and the winner will likely be rewarded with a trip to Youngstown on Feb could be the most grueling for Glenville and several teams capable of making it to the Sweet 16 Canfield and Warrensville will be considerable favorites in their brackets the potential district final to watch could be Warrensville Heights with its tenacious defense vs All should lead to Canton for a one of the sweeter Sweet 16s based on the final cleveland.com state rankings with Wyoming and Alter in the Southeast Only one of them can reach the state semifinals The state championship is slated for 4:15 p.m March 21 at the University of Dayton Arena