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Parma Heights, Ohio – A Black Cleveland police officer was convicted on January 16 of multiple traffic violations, including operating a vehicle while intoxicated, failing to maintain reasonable control, and carrying a weapon while intoxicated.
One news report claimed Deonte White did not have insurance at the time of the accident. However, the article has since been updated to remove this claim.
Body camera footage released by Parma Heights police on January 14 reveals the aftermath of a December 6, 2024, crash involving Cleveland police officer Deonte L. White, 32. The video shows White near a Black SUV that had veered off the road and crashed into an electrical pole around 1 a.m., causing a power outage in a nearby apartment building.
According to 19 News in Cleveland, witnesses told police that after the crash, the driver of the SUV exited the vehicle, fell to the ground, and then tried to drive away.
When officers questioned White about weapons in the car, he responded incoherently, saying, “No. I didn’t do that right there,” while gesturing toward the damaged SUV. A search of the vehicle revealed White’s firearm and paper bags filled with cash.
Officers requested a sobriety test from White, who appeared visibly disoriented, but he refused both at the scene and later at the jail. During the arrest, a tearful White identified himself as a Cleveland police officer and repeatedly asked the officers, "Can you please call my girlfriend?"
White repeatedly pleaded with officers to let him return to the vehicle, but his requests were denied. He was arrested at the scene and taken to North Royalton Jail, with an arraignment scheduled for January 16. No injuries were reported in the incident.
On January 16, Deonte White pleaded no contest to all charges nevertheless, he was convicted on all counts. White was ordered to pay $775 in fines and serve one year of probation, during which he had to surrender his personal firearm.
White was also sentenced to 40 days in jail, but the sentence was fully suspended due to White completing a 3-day driving course, thus requiring no jail time. After one year, he is set to regain his driving privileges.
According to the Internal Affairs division of the Cleveland Division of Police, White is on "administrative restricted duty" while the investigation is ongoing.
Parma Heights, Ohio is a small city with a population of just over 20,000 residents, the majority of whom are non-Hispanic Whites, comprising 72% of the population. Black residents make up 14% of the community. According to FBI crime data, the Parma Heights Police Department made 29 arrests related to weapons laws between 2021 and 2023. Of these arrests, 21 involved Black individuals, 6 involved White individuals, and 2 were of individuals whose race was unspecified.
The Justice Report has documented numerous incidents of police officers driving recklessly and endangering public safety. Even when these incidents result in fatalities, officers frequently appear to be treated with leniency.
In September 2024, three White construction workers were arrested in St. Louis, Missouri after restraining an off-duty Black police officer whom they accused of assaulting them following an illegal maneuver through their worksite.
Although the officer's illicit left turn was captured on camera and the workers claimed he was intoxicated, no sobriety test was conducted.
Furthermore, there was a nearly five-hour delay between the arrival of first responders and when the off-duty officer was allowed to leave the scene, potentially lowering his blood alcohol levels.
The three construction workers were arrested ten days later and charged with felony assault and kidnapping. Defense attorney John Rogers suggested the case might have political undertones.
“This prosecution is overly zealous,” Rogers said. “The elements of kidnapping cannot be met. The case is overcharged. They ran up multiple counts of armed criminal action based on a fight instigated by a police officer in a construction zone.”
In March 2023, a White electrical lineman and father of four was killed in Alabama after a Blount County Sheriff’s Deputy allegedly sped through a residential area and work zone. According to witnesses, the deputy, driving a Dodge SUV, struck a downed power line with such force that it was propelled into the air. The cable struck the worker, throwing him over 30 feet and fatally crushing his skull. The posted speed limit in the area was 15 mph.
Despite the tragic circumstances, Blount County Sheriff Mark Moon reportedly covered up the incident, helping clear his deputy of any criminal wrongdoing. However, the Justice Report later identified the deputy involved and uncovered video footage showing the patrol vehicle speeding through the work zone moments before the lineman’s death.
Sheriff Mark Moon has regularly faced accusations of corruption. Late last year he was accused of threatening to harass and dispatch officers to illegally surveil District Attorney Pamela Casey, who was overseeing the prosecution of one of Moon’s personal friends on meth trafficking charges.
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