Cleveland police union endorses Anthony Hurst over Frank Janik in Lorain County Juvenile Court race

CLEVELAND — Stepping into the political arena of its neighbors to the west, the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association on Tuesday endorsed Republican Anthony Hurst for Lorain County Juvenile Judge over incumbent Frank Janik, a Democrat. The group's interest in a Lorain County judicial race stems from Janik placing a Garfield Heights teenager on probation in 2021 for a robbery in Lorain County. Only weeks later, Tamara McLoyd shot and killed an off-duty Cleveland police officer during a carjacking. Now 20, McLoyd is serving life in prison with the possibility of parole after 47 years for Officer Shane Bartek's murder and other crimes. Cleveland Patrolmen's Association President Andrew Gasiewski made the link between the endorsement and the murder during a news conference with Hurst at CPPA headquarters on West 58th Street in Cleveland. During his remarks Tuesday, Hurst declined to go into specifics about the McLoyd case, saying it was up to Janik to answer those questions. When reached by the Chronicle, Janik said Hurst is playing politics. "I think this very political young man, Mr. Hurst, who has been a lawyer for six years when he filed to run for judge — which is the minimum experience required for an attorney to run for judge in Ohio — is using the tragic death of Officer Shane Bartek, to personally and politically profit by trying to become a judge when he is not qualified or experienced to be a judge," Janik said Tuesday. "That should speak volumes to his character or lack thereof," Janik said. Asked why the CPPA would endorse in a Lorain County race, Gasiewski said his union's members live not just in Cuyahoga County but in Lorain County and other surrounding counties. "Whenever the members bring something to the floor to directors, it's put as a motion and then voted on, and Anthony was brought to us by one of our members, it was put on the floor, it was a unanimous backing and we endorsed him," Gasiewski said. There was "some mishandling" of McLoyd's case by Janik, Gasiewski said, without going into detail. He said he and association Vice President Dave Kelley also gave Janik a chance to explain his decisions during a meeting several days ago. The association "plans to be a political powerhouse" in Columbus and elsewhere outside of Cleveland, he said. "It all depends on who comes to us and the motions on the floor," Gasiewski said when asked if his association would be making more political endorsements outside Cuyahoga County. "I don't know if it's the first in the history of the CPPA, but we are opening our doors for anyone who seeks our endorsement," he said. The CPPA went further in a news release announcing the endorsement and news conference: Janik was "behind the decision to place a violent juvenile offender on probation for her involvement in a violent robbery." "This same violent offender, while on probation went on a crime spree and murdered" Bartek, the association wrote. Kipton robbery Before Bartek's murder, McLoyd pleaded guilty to being an accomplice to the October 2020 robbery of a Kipton man at his home. The victim told Lorain County sheriff's detectives first that McLoyd was looking to rent out an apartment, but later said he had been messaging her on a dating website and she was an invited guest. Two male accomplices of McLoyd surprised the victim and robbed him at gunpoint. The trio of robbers fled in a stolen SUV with $100 in cash, the victim's debit card, and two cellphones. Charged in February 2021 with being an accomplice to the robbery, McLoyd told Lorain County deputies she went to the victim's house to smoke marijuana and "things escalated," according to a police report. Following her conviction, Janik labeled McLoyd a "serious youthful offender." That led Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court authorities to refuse to supervise McLoyd on probation, according to a July 2021 letter sent to Janik and reviewed by The Chronicle-Telegram. Janik said Tuesday his only role in the case was to preside over a plea agreement between McLoyd and the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office. The head prosecutor in the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office Juvenile Division at the time was Nicholas Celebrezze, now a Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court judge and Hurst's boss. McLoyd never held or possessed a gun during the robbery, Janik said, and prosecutors dismissed the most serious felony charges including aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, kidnapping, multiple felony grand theft charges and multiple firearms specifications that could have put McLoyd in prison for three or more years. She pleaded guilty to one count of complicity to robbery with a one-year firearm specification, an offense that doesn't carry mandatory time and is eligible for probation, according to Janik and court records. Prosecutors in 2021 recommended the minimum adult sentence after McLoyd agreed to testify as a state's witness against her co-defendants, the ones who held guns during the robbery. Janik said it was presented to him by the county Prosecutor's Office, and is a public record, that McLoyd was the "least-culpable" of the three defendants in the original robbery case and had a minimal prior criminal record. She was sentenced in October 2021 in Lorain County, according to Janik and public records. McLoyd was back in Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court twice between then and Bartek's murder, all while on a crime spree. Appearing in front of a Cuyahoga County juvenile judge on a misdemeanor criminal charge on Nov. 30, 2021, McLoyd was found guilty and ordered to pay court costs. She was 18 by this time, making her an adult offender, and the judge ordered her to "supervise herself," according to Janik. Bartek, 25, had less than two years on the Cleveland Police Department when McLoyd carjacked him on Rocky River Drive in Cleveland on New Year's Eve 2021. She shot him twice, killing him, then stole his car. Following a trial in 2022 in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, McLoyd was convicted of murder and other charges and sentenced to prison. Her appeals were denied, and her first parole hearing is in November 2068, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Five days after her sentencing in Lorain County in 2021, McLoyd and several accomplices committed the first in a series of armed robberies in Cuyahoga County that lasted two months and ended in Bartek's murder. Following Bartek's murder and McLoyd's arrest, Janik had McLoyd brought back to Lorain County, and sentenced her to three to four years in prison. He told her she had "figuratively spit in the face" of the prosecutor's office and his court. In court, Tamara McLoyd's mother, Tasha McLoyd, blamed Lorain County and Cuyahoga County officials for not taking her daughter's mental health seriously. Hurst remarks A first-time candidate for elected office, in prepared remarks Hurst called it "an incredible honor and privilege to receive the endorsement" and thanked the association. "Your tireless work to protect and serve, often under the most challenging of circumstances, is remarkable," he said. "Your commitment to upholding the law and ensuring the safety of the citizens is nothing short of heroic. Receiving this endorsement is a testament to the values we share. These include a commitment to justice, integrity and the rule of law." Law enforcement has a "critical role" in the justice system, and "your work on the front lines is essential for maintaining order, preventing crime and ensuring that justice is served," Hurst said. A magistrate in Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court and former Cuyahoga County assistant prosecutor, Hurst said he has always advocated for a "fair and impartial justice system" during his career, one "that represents the rights of all individuals while holding those that break the law accountable for their actions." "I will strive to ensure that our courts are accessible and equitable for everyone and that we continue to build a system where law is applied consistently and without prejudice," he said, as well as "to achieve a more perfect juvenile justice system that administers justice, rehabilitates juveniles, supports and strengthens families and promotes public safety." Hurst said he has handled cases involving delinquent children as a magistrate. As an assistant prosecutor, he handled cases involving child neglect, abuse and protection orders, he said. It isn't fair to say that he's inexperienced, Hurst said. "I have judicial experience. I've been doing this, and I would just ask that my opponent needs to stand on his record at the end of the day," he said. Chronicle-Telegram Chief Photographer Bruce Bishop contributed to this story. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.