CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley sent a cease-and-desist letter Thursday ordering county officials to immediately stop work on a new jail facility. He is alleging the nearly $1 billion project violated Ohio law by bypassing required oversight approvals before construction began.
O’Malley directed the letter to County Executive Chris Ronayne and every member of county council, citing an Ohio statute he says requires two separate groups of county leaders to approve any courthouse or jail project before work commences. He alleged those groups were never formed.
“It has now come to my attention that the county has commenced construction of the new County Corrections Center and has made expenditures relating to that project without having first complied with the aforementioned requirements,” O’Malley wrote. “The lack of such approvals renders the County’s commencement of this project illegal.”…