11 East Cleveland officers indicted; videos show them beating, kicking suspects, destroying evidence

A rookie Elyria police officer was fired Wednesday after being charged with felony crimes in Cuyahoga County related to his former service as an East Cleveland police officer with video footage showing him assaulting suspects in two incidents.

Elyria police officer Tristan Homan, 25, of Huron, was secretly indicted on charges of felonious assault, assault, interfering with civil rights and dereliction of duty by a Cuyahoga County grand jury on Feb. 28. The indictment was unsealed Wednesday.

He is set to be arraigned in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in Cleveland on March 28, according to online court records.

Homan was one of 11 East Cleveland police officers against whom criminal charges were announced by Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley at a news conference Wednesday. He was hired by the Elyria Police Department in October after working for East Cleveland police since mid-2021.

The city placed Homan on paid leave on Wednesday. He was fired by the end of the day "after direct conversations with investigators representing the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and the FBI," Elyria Safety Service Director Matt Lundy said in a news release Wednesday afternoon.

"The incident leading to the indictment is disturbing and shows behavior not acceptable to our department. The city had no knowledge of the incident or any investigation prior to his hire in October 2022. There is now a legal and investigation process to follow," Lundy wrote in a news release earlier in the day Wednesday.

Elyria Police Chief William Pelko said in an email to The Chronicle-Telegram that the department does not condone Homan's behavior.

"We at the Elyria Police Department do not condone or tolerate this behavior. With that said, we have had discussions with city hall to move towards termination of Officer Homan," Pelko wrote.

Officer Paige Mitchell, president of the Elyria Police Patrolmen's Association, declined to comment on Homan's termination but confirmed he was not yet a member of the union representing Elyria police officers. Homan had yet to complete his probationary period before being eligible for union membership.

Court records do not list an attorney for Homan.