2 days ago
Police chief blames state, doesn't address rise of violent crime in clip after OTR killing
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge placed the blame for the fatal stabbing of an Over-the-Rhine man on the state for not telling them the accused killer, on probation, had broken off his ankle monitor months earlier.
Theetge said in a video released the evening of June 10 that her officers must be able to trust the people they arrest will be prosecuted and held accountable after they are released.
It's the first public comment by the chief since the killing of 46-year-old Patrick Heringer on June 4. Through her spokesman, Theetge has declined multiple requests for an interview with The Enquirer this past week.
The killing shocked the city and raised fears about crime and public safety, particularly in Heringer's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.
Police say Heringer was fatally stabbed inside his East McMicken Avenue home by 38-year-old Mordecia Black, a recently released convicted felon who is now facing charges of murder and aggravated burglary.
Black, prosecutors said at his arraignment, was released from prison on probation with an ankle monitor in January. He cut off his ankle monitor a month later and has been on the run since.
Theetge and Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said city police were never notified when Black cut off his ankle monitor.
More: Mayor meets with wife of slain OTR man, says suspect 'should not have been walking free'
"Law enforcement is only one part of the public safety puzzle," Theetge said in the video statement. "When we arrest and charge violent offenders, there must be clear policies and procedures in place to manage their reintegration into society, and to ensure they are held accountable to the conditions of their post-release supervision."
JoEllen Smith, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, said the state lost track of Black after he was released, Enquirer media partner Fox 19 reports. The Enquirer has reached out to the agency for more information about how that could happen.
The mayor echoed much of what the chief said earlier, telling The Enquirer in a statement he is ready to help "champion needed reforms at the state level."
In the video, Theetge also read the names of five homicide victims who have been killed within the past two weeks: Treasure Thomas, Laura Schueler, Jayshaun Cornelius, Jevon Kirk and Heringer.
"The truth is painful. We do not have a crystal ball. We cannot always predict when or where violence will strike," Theetge said. "What we can do and will do is continue to serve as a barrier between good and evil."
The second-year chief called for more officers, referencing a rising number of retirements to the roughly 1,000-person force. She touched on an uptick in certain property crimes, but did not address the state of violent crime in the city.
More: Cincinnati sees uptick in violent crime in 2025; all crime up in Over-the-Rhine
A review of city data by The Enquirer shows there have been more violent crimes citywide so far this year than in most recent years, according to year-to-date data since 2021. Only 2024 was higher.
City data shows there have been 778 violent crime incidents so far this year. On average, over the past four years, there were 732 violent crimes year-to-date.
Homicides and shootings are both down citywide. Fatal and nonfatal shootings are down by about 25% compared to the same time last year and are lower than they've been since at least 2022.
Homicides, including stabbings, are down about 15% and are at the lowest levels they've been at since at least 2021.
Ahead of their respective public statements on June 10, Theetge and Pureval both met privately with Heringer's wife, Sarah Heringer. In a letter she read to a Local12 reporter, Sarah said she watched her husband bleed out in front of her.
More: Mayor meets with wife of slain OTR man, says suspect 'should not have been walking free'
Pureval wouldn't discuss details of the meeting with Sarah Heringer but, in a statement, said the man accused of the crime "should not have been walking free."
In a Facebook post after the meeting, Sarah Heringer said she wants to know why there was "no system connecting the parole board with local law enforcement."
'I told him directly: that is something I hold him accountable for,' Sarah Heringer wrote on Facebook. 'I also told him he needs to find out what other holes exist in his system before another family pays the price. He agreed to do that.'
She vowed that she will work with the city on reforming the system and sharing the results with the public "every step of the way." Sarah Heringer said she wants to make sure this doesn't happen again to someone else.
Enquirer reporter Scott Wartman contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Police Chief blames state for Over-the-Rhine man's killing
