Lorain man films car crash, refuses to give footage to police

Plus, Movement for Black Lives Convening happening this weekend and Put-In-Bay police chief charged with covering up rape crimes

We boil down what happened in Cleveland this week.

Lorain man films car crash, refuses to give footage to police

Paul Pelton, 41, was accused of filming a car crash that was caused the death of Cameron Friend, 17. According to Lorain County police, Pelton entered the car to film Friend, who was in the passenger seat, and the driver. The driver, also a 17-year-old boy, was injured in the crash.

Instead of offering help, Pelton called them “idiots,” among other things, said Lorain police. Several bystanders later helped the boys. Pelton was said to have attempted selling the video to two news stations, like Fox 8, and refused to give up the video to police authorities.

Pelton was arrested shortly after on a vehicle trespassing charge.

Movement for Black Lives Convening happening this weekend

Cleveland State University will be hosting the inaugural Movement for Black Lives Convening this weekend, July 24 to 26. Movement for Black Lives Convening provides a space for people fighting racial prejudice to come together, discuss, challenge and engage in a movement against discrimination. The event will hold workshops, spaces to share each other’s experiences and opportunities to express oneself through art.

The event is being held around the same time that the Cleveland Police Department is being investigated for numerous African American deaths this year, including the deaths of Tamir Rice and Tanisha Anderson.

Put-In-Bay police chief charged with covering up rape crimes

Police Chief Robert “Ric” Lampela is being charged with covering up a rape crime that happened twelve years ago at Put-In-Bay, an island just off the border of Ohio. The lawsuit was filed last Friday.

When Lampela’s officers used drugs to take advantage of two cadets in 2003, Lampela allegedly covered the crime and threatened the two women. According to The Huffington Post, Lampela held a gun to their head and told them no one would believe them if they took this accusation to court. He called himself the “God of Put-In-Bay.”