RAVENNA, Ohio (WOIO) – Some Ravenna city officials are concerned about the number of newly released Portage County inmates being transported by the sheriff’s office downtown.

City Councilor Amy Michael said that while it is legal, it is a health and safety issue.

“It’s inhumane,” Michael said. “You have agencies that aren’t open at the hours they’re allowed, the PARTA bus line isn’t running, a lot of them don’t have phones, they’re being released from jail without identification.”

Michael said this has been going on since before this sheriff took office, but recently it got worse.

“The falls happened much later, they were the ones that made us question the safety of the people in our center, our residents, our businesses,” Michael said. “We also question the safety of the inmates. A lot of people who are abandoned have a lot of mental health needs.”

Body camera footage from the Ravenna Police Department shows officers confronting a woman they say was taking her clothes off her scarecrow to keep warm.

In the police report, she told officers she had just been released from jail and was dropped off by jail staff outside the Portage County courthouse.

“Have you been here all night? Or did they just leave you this morning?” the officer asked the woman. “I’ve been here all night,” the woman replied.

19 News has received more than a dozen police reports dating back to 2021 about inmates released by the downtown sheriff’s office.

In many of the reports, officers helped take newly released inmates where they needed to go, even to surrounding towns.

“Our police department is prepared to help people not just arrest them, and I fully support the chief’s work with that,” Ravenna Mayor Frank Seman said.

Michael hopes a solution can be found to keep everyone safe.

“We want to work with a solution. I asked for this four years ago. I asked,” Michael said. “We need to have a meeting and come up with a plan.”

19 News has reached out to the Portage County Sheriff’s Office for comment. We are waiting for answers.

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