First Place, Geaorge A. Smallsreed Jr. Award, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) Blade
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) BladeBedford's senior Jeremy Harris (90) Lucas Mayo (21) Boss Brad (2) Alec Hullibarger (11) and Jack Maison (35) carry their teammate Colton Durbin's number three jersey off the field before the start of the Friday, Oct. 25, 2013, match up between Monroe Jefferson and Bedford. Bedford senior Colton Durbin was taken off life support Thursday after being injured in a car accident Wednesday. In addition to a moment of silence held before the beginning of the game, Colton's family and friends wore buttons, face painting and held his number aloft in his honor.
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) BladeBianca Bryant, of North Toledo, center, raised her fist in the air as she received her bachelors in psychology during the Lourdes University 55th Commencement Saturday, May 18, 2013 at the SeaGate Convention Centre in downtown Toledo. Hundreds of people turned out to celebrate the commencement of students with graduating with everything from associate to bachelor to master to honorary doctoral degrees.
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) BladeToledo firefighters work to extinguish a blaze that broke out at 758 Hamilton Street in South Toledo Wednesday, July 24, 2013. Neighbors said the house was empty and no injuries were reported.
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) BladeCosma Miller, of South Toledo, cries as she shares memories of her friend Wendabi Triplett, who was gunned down in December of 2012. Triplett's estranged husband, Robert Carter, is charged with aggravated murder. Triplett was murdered in front of her three children outside the house of a friend.
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) BladeGibsonburg's junior Jordan Kreglow, center, attempts to keep a hold of the ball under pressure from Ottawa Hills during the fourth quarter of the Friday, Dec. 13, 2013, match up at Ottawa Hills. Ottawa Hills overcame Gibsonburg to win, 47-39.
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) BladeRojelio Sanchez, left, smiles back as his two-year-old son Rojelio III, peers through a hole in the screen door at the family's home in Napoleon. Since being released from prison after serving 11 years for attempted murder, Rojelio has made it his goal to provide a better life for his family. He and his wife Rebecca recently relocated their family of six from North Toledo to Napoleon. Sanchez works as the manager of Evergreen Seed Supply, where he does everything from managing the warehouse, to administrative work to truck driving.
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) BladeLaura Baldwin holds her son Logan as she feeds the rest of her quadruplets at the home she shares with her husband, Bill, and their three-year-old daughter, Leah, in Swanton. The babies, from left, Reghan, Madalyn and Ryan, are fraternal quadruplets. They were born three months ago at thirty weeks.
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) BladeSydney Siddall, 12, left, clutches her penguin Rontu as she has her hair adjusted by Abby Channer, 12, while hanging out with their friend Maddie Prince, 12, all of Sylvania, at Burnham Park on Tuesday, August 6, 2013, in Sylvania. As summer winds down, the park continues to be a popular spot. The girls said they had come to hang out in the park because it was close to home.
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) Blade "Each room you go into you enter into another story," Joyce Rimmelin, right, said. Rimmelin embraced Claire Campbell, 82, on her volunteer rounds at ProMedica's Ebeid Hospice Residence in Sylvania. Rimmelin has been a believer in hospice care for many years. After the death of her husband in hospice at Ebeid House, Rimmelin decided to continue visiting and volunteering with staff and patients. "For that brief period of time, with not having any family of my own, they become my family," she said. "The best days of my week are the days that i am present in-patient unit."
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) BladeIn 2008 Michigan voters passed a ballot initiative legalizing medical marijuana. Now, an organization called The Ohio Rights Group has submitted a petition to put the issue of medical marijuana on the 2014 ballot in Ohio. This essay explores the impact medical marijuana has had both on Michigan, where it is now legal, and in Ohio, where its growth, sale and use remain outside the law. John Evans peers into a makeshift room containing his growing marijuana plants. A proponent and user of medical marijuana, Evans moved to Michigan in 2010 to become a registered care giver, the term used for a legal grower of medical marijuana who supplies a registered patient. Evans became passionate about medical marijuana after watching his grandmother struggle with traditional pain management options during her time in hospice. He says he sees medical marijuana and the decriminalization or legalization of recreational marijuana use to be completely separate issues. "Let's discuss medical marijuana on the merits of its medicinal value," Evans said.
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) BladeJohn Evans pulls back the plastic sealing off one of his medical marijuana growing rooms in the basement of his home near Ann Arbor, Mich. Evans grows marijuana with almost no THC. Instead, his contains more CBD, a chemical compound that has been shown to relieve pain and curb seizures and convulsions. Evans can net up to $20,000 a year for his medical marijuana supply, though he says it is presently his only income.
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) BladeJohn Evans works with his dried marijuana as he processes the plants for consumption in his living room. A proponent and user of medical marijuana, Evans moved to Michigan in 2010 to become a registered care giver, the term used for a legal grower of medical marijuana who supplies a registered patient. Evans became passionate about medical marijuana after watching his grandmother struggle with traditional pain management options during her time in hospice. He says he sees medical marijuana and the decriminalization or legalization of recreational marijuana use to be completely separate issues. "Let's discuss medical marijuana on the merits of its medicinal value," Evans said.
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) BladeMedical marijuana activist Tim Beck hoists a joint up as he addresses the hundreds of people assembled for, "Hash Bash," an annual gathering of marijuana rights supporters, in Ann Arbor, Mich. Beck has been working to legalize marijuana in the state of Michigan for more than a decade, and has been a major force behind the passage of the state's medical marijuana legislation. "Marijuana legalization is inevitable," Beck said.
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) BladeMarijuana supporters gather at this year's, "Hash Bash," in Ann Arbor, Mich. Many openly smoked marijuana at the gathering, which included speeches from many local and regional marijuana rights activists.
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) Blade"I got my card because I believe all use of marijuana is medicinal," Holice Wood, a medical marijuana user said. Wood runs an organization called TRANSLove Energies in Detroit. The group, which he describes as a private medical marijuana compassion club, is closed to the public. Because the legislation surrounding medical marijuana is vague Wood says he will continue to run his club by invite only.
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) BladeAdam Michilak, left, and Joshua Bennett, right, are led out a South Toledo home by police after Toledo Narcotics and SWAT officers raided the house at 3034 S. Byrne Road on April, 12. Police valued the confiscated materials, including up to 65 hydroponic marijuana plants, seven pounds of processed marijuana, and an SKS assault rife, and a Dodge Charger at an estimated $115,800. Much of the marijuana seized was hydroponically grown, a shift officials say has been impacted by the higher potency marijuana commonly used by medicinal marijuana users in Michigan.
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) BladeMarijuana confiscated by Toledo Narcotics and SWAT officers from a house at 3034 S. Byrne Road in South Toledo on April, 12 sits in bags outside the property. Police valued the confiscated materials, including up to 65 hydroponic marijuana plants, seven pounds of processed marijuana, and an SKS assault rife, and a Dodge Charger at $115,800. In 2008 Michigan passed a law legalizing medical marijuana and leading to a surge in hydroponics. An organization called The Ohio Rights Group has submitted petitions to institute medical marijuana on the 2014 ballot in Ohio.
First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Katie Rausch / The (Toledo) BladeStacy Saville, center, stands in municipal court for a preliminary hearing on Friday, May 3, 2013. The home in which Saville was living in South Toledo was raided by police, who turned up an estimated $115,800 in evidence of an expansive marijuana grow operation. Much of the marijuana seized was hydroponically grown, a shift officials say has been impacted by the higher potency marijuana commonly used by medicinal marijuana users in Michigan.
Second Place, Geaorge A. Smallsreed Jr. Award, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerCharlene Milan, left, gives thanks while talking to Nancy Ruiz, the mother of kidnap victim Gina DeJesus, as they celebrate Gina's homecoming after being held captive for more than 10 years. The story of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight captivated the nation in May. The three women spent a decade in captivity together before escaping on May 6, when Berry kicked out a panel in the front door and crawled to freedom with the help of neighbors responding to her cries for help. The saga continued with DeJesus’ return to her childhood home, the capture and trial of the kidnapper, Ariel Castro, and the demolition of the house where the women were held.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerWho needs coffee for breakfast when there is a beer bong? Jamey Farren, 27, of Painesville, far left, stands on the Tambo Tower as he helps the beer flow through the beer bong to Carlos Bellinger, 26, of Painesville, far right, at the infamous Muni Lot near First Energy Stadium in Cleveland Sunday morning. The Browns won their game against Cincinnati.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer Ballerinas, dressed as "flowers" start to float onstage for the Waltz of the Flowers scene during dress rehearsal for Ohio Dance Theatre's "The Nutcracker" at the Stocker Arts Center at Lorain County Community College in Elyria. Denise Gula, artistic director of the Ohio Dance Theatre, has helped keep “The Nutcracker” alive in Lorain County for 21 years.Gula’s most difficult dance is the waltz of finding financial support. Each year she develops new strategies for reaching out to corporate and community leaders to champion the value of the performing arts. The nonprofit has its challenges. “It is important to us to keep the arts accessible to all and to deliver a quality product at an affordable price,” Gula says. “Smaller arts organizations have less standing and ability to compete for donor attention.”
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerPainter Frank Oriti, 29, of Lakewood, has won the prestigious Emerging Artist Award from the 2013 Cleveland Arts Prize. Oriti, who used to work in a steel mill, works on his "blue-collar" subjects in this studio. His oil-on-acrylic paintings -- painstakingly constructed, start with 15 to 20 layers of glazing. As a youngster in Parma, he was brought up by parents who nurtured a strong work ethic.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerA student floats through a patch of sunlight, discovering the artful shapes her hands can make in her shadow. Finding art in everyday happenings is essential to the curriculum at Euclid Park Elementary. Some of Cleveland's elementary schools have fought to keep their art classes strong.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerJohn J. Cesear (cq), 89, of Parma, attended a Christmas Eve mass in Maastricht, The Netherlands, in 1943, with about 300 other soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. Only 50 of those who attended the mass, including Cesear, survived the battle. Cesear has spent a lifetime with nightmares, but still is dedicated to telling the story and honoring the soldiers through presentations.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerA woman makes her way across the stark palette of trees and snow in front of the Cleveland Clinic on a blustery winter Tuesday. A winter storm brought in single digit temperatures, leaving Cleveland's temperature hovering around 9 degrees this afternoon. Winds are currently at 22 mph with gusts up to 28 mph, according to the national weather service.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerSpring Fashion 2013 inside the Cleveland Botanical Garden. This season's showcase accessory, the statement necklace ($26), from Nola True.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerReading Intervention teacher Shondra Shine, right, hugs an upset first grader Tywann Talley, 5, on the very first day of school at Anton Grdina Elementary School (cq) in Cleveland. Teachers met the students outside as they arrived at school at around 7:30 a.m. Shine, who has been a teacher for two decades, says she loves to hug away the tears on their scary first day of school.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerA breeze blows through the ribbons of the traditional Italian hat worn by Richard Trivisonno, 11, as he waits outside of the Holy Rosary Church in Little Italy for the start of the 115th Feast of The Assumption procession. About 100,000 people descend onto the Little Italy neighborhood to celebrate the Virgin Mary being taken to heaven. The four-day celebration is packed with food, music and bocci ball.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerExplorys system technicians Luke Teeters, left, and Josh Spector, work on a set of computers in a sparse room at their new start-up company called Explorys. Many new start-ups are calling Cleveland home. Explorys is pioneering Big Data in the health-care field and giving Cleveland a lead in a new industry. Its software mines patient records to spy patterns and trends and offer treatment options to doctors and nurses. Its booming.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerShahaad Hardwick, 9, looks at a slideshow of pictures at the Salvation Army Harbor Light Complex during the Pictures of Hope program. Linda Solomon created Pictures of Hope for homeless children to capture their hopes and dreams in pictures on their road to the future. Twelve homeless kids, who now live at the Salvation Army, will try to illustrate their "hopes and dreams" in the next couple of days and send their pictures back to Linda Solomon who will make them into holiday cards. The program is a 12-city national program sponsored by Chevrolet who gives the kids cameras to keep.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerOrange's 4 x100 relay team embrace each other after placing second at the Divison 2, Region 5 Championship at Bedford High School on Saturday, June 1, 2013. They lost to Ursuline by .01. Shelby Willis, 17, (face showing) hugs teammate Alexandra Pizarro, 17. The hug on the right in background is Jasmine Harris, 15 (face showing) and Brianna Johnson, 17.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerMargareta Okafor, 3, (cq!) looks up to the balcony where the a narrator speaks as she and other angels wait to flap their wings down the aisle to the front of the church during The Christmas Pageant at Christ Episcopal Church in Shaker Heights. This is the 20th year for the pageant on Christmas eve that tells the story of Joesph, Mary and baby Jesus. The pageant also had live animals including a donkey, a camel, goats and one yak.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerPeninsula photography collectors Fred and Laura Bidwell are opening the Transformer Station, a $3 million museum in collaboration with the Cleveland Museum of Art. This building that once powered streetcars on the west side will now power the area's growing arts and culture scene in the Ohio City neighborhood. This hanging hook and chains are left over from the original transformer station. The new museum will open on Friday, Feb. 1.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerA man walks eastward on Superior Avenue near E. 12th Street in downtown Cleveland as the sun shines through steam coming up from a construction site on the sidewalk. Construction along Superior is coming is finally coming to an end.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerSynopsis: When Elizabeth McCullough's one-year-old son Riley climbed onto his dad's back and begged him to buck like a bull, she knew she had a future cowboy on her hands. "When it's in your blood, it's in your blood," says Elizabeth, a farm owner and barrel racer from Willard, Ohio. Fast forward five years, the wee wrangler is bursting out of the chute strapped to a wooly rocket. With a white-knuckled grip of a future bull rider, Riley, now 6, is learning the art of hanging on for dear life. To a Suffolk sheep, that is. Riley is taming the flying fleece at the Mutton Bustin' School at Creek Bend Ranch's Buckin' Ohio in Burbank. The Mutton Bustin' School, staffed by professional bull riders, teaches buckaroos ages 5-9 years old how to safely hold onto the sheep's pelt as they ride across the dusty ring. The simple premise is to ride until you fall off. During a real competition, participants are judged for a six-second ride. Kids must be under 65 pounds and are required to wear helmets and vests. Buckin' Ohio is a labor of love for owners Eileen and Denny Thorsell. "We love the west, " says Eileen. " I don't want it to become a dying culture in America. We want to keep the western culture and heritage alive. " CAPTION for this FIRST PICTURE: Riley McCullough, 6, already owns a huge collection of belt buckles. His favorite has a picture of a longhorn on it… and yes, he has a real longhorn at home too.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer Elizabeth McCullough of Willard, Ohio, left, puts custom-made chaps on her son Riley McCullough, 6, just before he attends Mutton Bustin' School at Buckin' Ohio at Creek Bend Ranch in Burbank, Ohio. The future bull rider has been riding sheep since he was four years old and came to the school to hone his skills.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerRiley McCullough, 6, sporting his very own, custom-made chaps, listens during Mutton Bustin' School at Buckin' Ohio. Riley begged his mom for the chaps last year. This wee wrangler has been riding sheep since he was four years old. He hopes to hone his skills at the school with the professional bull riders.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerProfessional bull rider Brandon Davis, above left, and retired professional bull rider Scott Russell, right, teach Blake Dill, 6, of Columbus, the art form of hanging onto a sheep at the Mutton Bustin' School. The kids are practicing on barrels before they ride the sheep.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerBuckaroos, ages 5-9, stretch to get a better look into a bucking chute as instructors show them a Suffolk sheep that they will be riding. The brave cowboys and cowgirls are taming the flying fleece at the Mutton Bustin' School. The Mutton Bustin' School, staffed by professional bull riders, teaches buckaroos ages 5-9 years old how to safely hold onto the sheep's pelt as they ride across the dusty ring. The simple premise is to ride until you fall off.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer Retired professional bull rider Scott Russell, right, uses Josh Chirdon, 6, of Wadsworth, to show the kids the correct way to hold onto a sheep for dear life at the Mutton Bustin' School. Very tightly.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerThomas Foster, 6, of Wooster, puts on his very own helmet for his first ride of the day at the Mutton Bustin' School. All riders must wear a helmet and a vest. An aspiring bull rider, Foster is a regular here at Buckin' Ohio and has competed in the Mutton Bustin' portion of their bull riding events.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerRiley McCullough, 6, of Willard, bursts out of the chute on a wooly rocket during his first ride at the Mutton Bustin' School. With a white-knuckled grip of a future bull rider, Riley is learning the art of hanging on for dear life.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer Ella Pepera, 5, of Avon, hangs onto a Suffolk sheep as they burst out of the gate at the Mutton Bustin' School. Even though this is Ella's first time ever riding a sheep, her ride was the longest of the day. In Mutton Bustin' competitions, participants are judged on a six-second ride. Emily Hickman, 13, far left, and her brother Clayton Hickman, 14, wait out in the ring to follow the sheep for safety.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerRiley McCullough, 6, of Willard, gets bucked off a Suffolk sheep after a great run during the Mutton Bustin' School. Riley, riding for a year now, got up without a scratch.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerBlake Dill, 6, of Columbus, slips off the sheep gracefully into the dusty ring, shortly after bursting out of the gate during his second ride ever at the Mutton Bustin' School. Dill was not hurt.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerThey lived. The wee wranglers, 5-9, cheer after being congratulated on completing the mutton bustin' school lessons at Buckin' Ohio at Creek Bend Ranch. All have signed up for next lessons which are held next summer. From left is Thomas Foster, 6, of Wooster; Riley McCullough, 6, of Willard; Ace Thorsell, 4, of Burbank; Carly Baxter, 7, of Edinburgh; Josh Chirdon, 6, and Zach Chirdon, 5, of Wadsworth.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerReinvestigating Rape (Synopsis): They stalked Cleveland’s East Side 20 years ago, ambushed women or girls as they walked along city streets, dragged them into the backyards of blighted houses, into wooded areas and garbage-strewn lots, and raped them. The serial rapists were never caught. But they left behind their DNA. Collected from each victim at local hospitals as part of a “rape kit”, the DNA remained untested alongside hundreds of others that would wait nearly two decades to tell their secrets. The Cleveland Police Department's dismissive approach was to shelve and forget thousands of rape kits that contained DNA evidence collected from survivors. The callous indifference of the Cleveland Police Department enabled a rape culture to flourish. Cuyahoga County investigators are now revisiting decades-old unsolved rape cases, using DNA evidence to connect serial rapes and sending cases to grand juries for indictment - often racing against a 20-year statute of limitations. The following images are where attackers ruthlessly raped their victims 20 years ago. Each caption reveals the name of the rapist, each one now indicted on the rape that happened near where the image was made. Many of the locations were just steps away from busy streets, schools and heavily populated but deteriorating urban neighborhoods. Some of the serial rapists walked free for two decades. Until now. More than 75 have been indicted in Cuyahoga County, some with only a few days left within the 20-year statute of limitations. CAPTION for this FIRST IMAGE: More than two decades after Cynthia Espey told police she was attacked by serial rapist Michael Bass at knifepoint in this apartment building, her nightmare has ended. Police never tested her rape kit. The case was reopened this year after DNA evidence revealed that Bass had lied to police in a 1993 statement. Prosecutors indicted the case just TWO days before the 20-year statute of limitations on the rape case ran out.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerSerial rapist Michael Irby, 52, assaulted a woman in an abandoned building here at E. 57th and Euclid Avenue in 1993. Recent DNA testing has linked Irby to at least three more rapes in the 1990s. Irby is already serving a prison sentence after being convicted of raping 11 other women in 1993 and 1994. The rapes mainly occurred on the East Side and targeted women suffering from drug addiction and engaging in prostitution. A prosecutor at the time called Irby "a cunning predator" and said each of the rapes he committed was violent, depraved and brutal. Irby’s pattern included dehumanizing acts, such as raping his victims with objects or forcing them to drink his urine.Police said they believed Irby was linked to at least 18 rapes, making him one of the most prolific rapists in Cleveland's history. Attorney General Mike DeWine issued an open call for sexual assault evidence kits after stories revealed that thousands of untested kits were in storage at police departments across Ohio. Now, after forensic testing, the kits are yielding results, linking cases to each other and to DNA profiles in databases. Prosecutors and detectives are revisiting the evidence, tracking down victims, using DNA to connect serial rapes and sending cases to the grand jury for indictment – all while racing against a 20-year statute of limitations.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerRapist Charles Steele, 61, approached women on the street, sometimes tried to strike up conversation, then dragged them to secluded areas and raped them such as in this wooded area near the busy corner of St. Clair Avenue and Lakeview Street. For 20 years, the crimes remained unsolved. Evidence collected from the bodies of each victim in 1993 and 1994 remained ignored and in storage until Cleveland police began to ship the first of thousands of untested rape kits to a state lab. Prosecutors say DNA in four of those rape kits led them to Charles Steele, a convicted rapist serving a lengthy prison term for the 1994 rapes of two Cincinnati-area women. Steele had the distinction last year of being the first man indicted in Cuyahoga County -- and in the state -- based on testing of the idled rape kits.The Cleveland rape victims, however, lived two decades unaware that the man who might have been responsible for their attacks had been locked away. One left the state and changed her name out of fear, prosecutors said. Steele, indicted in March, was just sentenced Feb. 21, 2014, to 65 more years in prison for the four rapes.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerNot only has Elias Acevedo's DNA been linked to other rapes including three of his daughters, he also surprisingly confessed to two long-unsolved murder cases from 1994 and 1995. Serial rapist Elias Acevedo told authorities that they he and Pamela Pemberton were drinking with friends and later walked to Clark Field here next to the steel mills in the Tremont neighborhood. When Pemberton refused to have sex with him, he raped and strangled her, leaving her body in a wooded area where it was later discovered by neighborhood boys. He also lead police to a manhole, where he dumped the body of Christina Adkins after raping and killing her. Her remains were still there, 18 years later. He was recently convicted and sentenced to 445 years in prison.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerThe victim reported that she was walking along East 70th Street at Lawnview when two unknown men ordered her into a car at gunpoint. Both men raped her. One of the men is deceased. George Woods, 37, has recently been indicted for this rape in 1993, with only days remaining on the 20-year statue of limitations. Attorney General Mike DeWine issued an open call for sexual assault evidence kits after stories revealed that thousands of untested kits were in storage at police departments across Ohio. Now, after forensic testing, the kits are yielding results, linking cases to each other and to DNA profiles in databases. Prosecutors and detectives are revisiting the evidence, tracking down victims, using DNA to connect serial rapes and sending cases to the grand jury for indictment – all while racing against a 20-year statute of limitations.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerIn July 1993, Jennifer Moore, 12, was walking her puppy when three men abducted and raped her on the pavement behind this school. She was then kidnapped and taken to a house where she was beaten and repeatedly gang raped for three days. Cleveland police did little to investigate the attack 20 years ago. A two-page police report states that Moore was a reported runaway, who said she had been raped by three men behind a school. It makes no mention of her three days in captivity or her parents’ alarm at seeing her puppy mysteriously return home without their daughter. The evidence collected from her at the hospital wasn't tested for nearly 20 years. Until this year. Moore speaks of searing guilt because she knows other women were raped after she made her reports, then redirects her ire at Cleveland police, for seemingly doing nothing to find the men who destroyed her teenage years. The seven men were all due in court to face charges of kidnapping, rape and complicity to rape. Each of them has already been convicted of felonies in the past. At least two have been convicted of sex crimes. Only one, Gene Turner, showed up. He pleaded not guilty and was given a $100,000 bond. Two of the other men are already in prison. The others have warrants out for their arrest. Carolyn Watts Allen, former Cleveland safety director, who oversaw the city's police department from 1990-93, publicly apologized to Moore in a letter. Allen wrote that she extends her "deepest apology for the trauma you experienced in 1993 both at the hands of your rapist and the hands of the Cleveland Police Department. No one and especially no child should have to endure the pain and abuse you endured by such criminals or from the law enforcement system that was supposed to support you," she wrote.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerA 12-year-old girl was walking to school when a man came up behind her and told her he had a knife. Delbert Buckwald led her to a wooded area by the overpass near Interstate 90 and Scranton and raped her as cars buzzed by. The 48-year-old sex offender pleaded guilty to three West Side rapes that were reported in 1993 and 1994. Buckwald is sentenced to at least 30 years in prison. He is one of a growing number of serial rapists being identified through rape kit testing.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerThis is yet another location that Michael Irby, 52, raped a woman two decades ago near Woodhill and Parkview. He has been indicted again recently after DNA from previously untested rape kits linked him to two additional rapes in 1993 and 1994. Police they believed Irby was linked to at least 18 rapes, making him one of the most prolific serial rapist in Cleveland's history. The rapes mainly occurred on the East Side and targeted women suffering from drug addiction and engaging in prostitution. A prosecutor at the time called Irby "a cunning predator" and said each of the rapes he committed was violent, depraved and brutal. Irby’s pattern included dehumanizing acts, such as raping his victims with objects or forcing them to drink his urine.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerA 18-year-old woman told police in 1993 that she was walking down the street in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood on Union Street when a man walked up and asked her if she had “just had a fight with her boyfriend.” She replied, “No but I just want to be alone.” Charles Steele, now 61, then walked in front of the woman for a while and then turned to her, reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a gun. He then dragged her into this abandoned garage. The woman tried to run but the man pulled her back in, held her at gunpoint, and raped her. He told her to count to 100 before she got up and if she tried to leave, he would kill her. He raped four women. For 20 years, the crimes remained unsolved. Evidence collected from the bodies of each victim in 1993 and 1994 remained ignored and in storage until Cleveland police began to ship the first of thousands of untested rape kits to a state lab. Prosecutors say DNA in four of those rape kits led them to Charles Steele, a convicted rapist serving a lengthy prison term for the 1994 rapes of two Cincinnati-area women. Steele had the distinction last year of being the first man indicted in Cuyahoga County -- and in the state -- based on testing of the idled rape kits.The Cleveland rape victims, however, lived two decades unaware that the man who might have been responsible for their attacks had been locked away. One left the state and changed her name out of fear, prosecutors said. Steele, indicted in March, was just sentenced on Feb. 21, 2014 to 65 more years in prison for the four rapes.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer"You don't know who you are dealing with," said serial rapist "John Doe #2" after he kidnapped a 35-year-old woman on E. 131st Street and Harvard Avenue. He then told her to get out of the car and run. He fired three shots at her as she ran. County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty decided to charge "John Does" based on the DNA profiles of unidentified suspects. "John Doe #2" is charged with at least seven counts of rape. Attorney General Mike DeWine issued an open call for sexual assault evidence kits after stories revealed that thousands of untested kits were in storage at police departments across Ohio. Now, after forensic testing, the kits are yielding results, linking cases to each other and to DNA profiles in databases. Prosecutors and detectives are revisiting the evidence, tracking down victims, using DNA to connect serial rapes and sending cases to the grand jury for indictment – all while racing against a 20-year statute of limitations.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer“If you turn and look at me, I’ll kill you," he threatened, pressing a large knife to her throat and commanding her to undress. One of the youngest rape victims was a 6th grader, taking a shortcut to Mary Martin School through an overgrown field, when she was accosted by the man with paint splattered pants here at E. 82nd Street and Hough Avenue. He laid her face down on the ground and raped her. Afterward, he apologized for what he had done, and ordered her to count to 100 while he fled on foot. The attacker, who authorities now have dubbed John Doe #3, was never caught. John Doe #3 could prove to be among the most prolific serial rapists in the city’s history. Six fell prey to him in less than a year, four between the ages of 12 and 16.
Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain DealerMany of the rapes occurred on Cleveland's east side where urban blight has steadily destroyed neighborhoods. Darnell Hoffman has just been indicted for a rape at E.102nd Street and Manor Avenue of a 14-year-old girl in 1993. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine issued an open call for sexual assault evidence kits after stories revealed that thousands of untested kits were in storage – sometimes for decades – at police departments across Ohio. Now, after forensic testing, the kits are yielding results, linking cases to each other and to DNA profiles in databases. Prosecutors and detectives are revisiting the evidence, tracking down victims, using DNA to connect serial rapes and sending cases to the grand jury for indictment – all while racing against a 20-year statute of limitations.
Third Place, Geaorge A. Smallsreed Jr. Award, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerDavid King walks through a luminarium called Exxopolis in the parking lot across from Playhouse Square Wednesday, May 8, 2013. Exxopolis is an inflatable sculpture that changes depending on the daylight. Exxopolis is part of the International Children's Festival, which takes place May 9th through May 11th King is part of ZooZoo, a theatre troop that will also perform at the festival.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerMolly Blackford makes eye contact with Penny, her Agouti Pygmy Goat, at the Medina County Fair. Blackford was exercising her goat.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerMadeline Power, 5, of Cleveland, dances to the music of the Cleveland Letter Carriers Band at the Memorial Day Program at Lake View Cemetery.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerKatalina Varro, 7, walks past the casket of Fr. Sandor Siklodi, during vespers at St. Emeric Catholic Church. Siklodi died after a sudden illness. Siklodi was the only priest allowed to return to his former church after eleven churches were ordered by the Vatican to reopen, overturning Bishop Richard Lennon's decree to have them closed.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerLyndsay Glenn wipes back tears as her husband, Jimmy, says goodbye before heading to Cincinnati to enter a treatment program. Glenn was headed to an eight week inpatient treatment program to combat his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerJudge Jean Murrell Capers is photographed in the lobby of Judson Manor Retirement Center. The Centenarian who lives in the nursing home with her younger sister, was Cleveland's first black councilwoman.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerScrappy, a black lab / king boxer mix, looks out a hole in the fence in his yard at Newark Court. Newark Court is one of three sites for City Repair, a project to transform neighborhood spaces. Artists on the project had seen Scrappy poke his head out and thought a dog house would be appropriate to paint around the opening.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerSt. Ignatius wide receiver Jack Hyland tries to make a fingertip grab on a third down play while being defended by St. Edward defensive back D.J. Thomas.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerGilmour Academy's Hannah Markel, left, falls after being tripped by Hawken's Emily Staufer during the second leg of the 4X800 Division II state finals. Gilmour finished sixth and Hawken's relay was disqualified.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerDejected St. Vincent-St. Mary guard VJ King walks off the court as the Bishop Watterson team celebrates their 55-52 state final win in Division II.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerCleveland police have had a sordid past when it comes to investigating missing women in Cleveland. The ledger recording unsolved crimes against women crew at an astonishing rate. Rapists and killers walked among us with impunity. Since the trial and conviction of serial killer Anthony Sowell and the escape of three kidnapped women, these criminals are being pursued with greater urgency.Angelique Gallagher is given a hug as tears stream down her face during a rally for women's safety in East Cleveland. Hundreds turned out as family members of some of the three women found this past weekend in East Cleveland spoke. Gallagher's niece Shirellda Terry was one of three women found this past weekend believed to have been murdered by Michael Madison.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerMary Adkins holds a wooden cross she'll take to Riverside Cemetery to put on a memorial for her daughter, Christina. Christina Adkins' body was stuffed in a manhole and her remains went undiscovered for 18 years until her killer, Elias Acevedo, confessed to the crime.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerA flag is waved by a member of Black on Black Crime during a rally for women's safety in East Cleveland. Hundreds turned out as family members of three women found murdered in East Cleveland spoke.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerDeputy Police Chief Ed Tomba wipes his eyes as he answers questions from the media after the escape of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight from the home of Ariel Castro. The three women were held prisoner inside the home for more than ten years.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerVolunteers search railroad tracks behind the East Cleveland Civic Center looking for more bodies of missing women. The search continued for bodies after the discovery of three bodies wrapped in plastic bags last weekend.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerTonia Adkins, sister, of Christina Adkins, hugs a childhood friend of her sister Friday October 25, 2013. Christina Adkins' body was stuffed in a manhole and her remains went undiscovered for 18 years until her killer, Elias Acevedo, confessed to the crime.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerA volunteer makes his way to the second floor of an apartment building looking for additional bodies of missing women. The search continued after the discovery of three bodies wrapped in plastic bags last weekend.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerA member of the FBI Evidence Response Team scours a field in search of the body of Christina Adkins. Police were searching the brush near Clark Field after receiving a tip about the missing woman's whereabouts. Adkins has been missing since 1995.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerA piece of bone said to be a human knee bone is held by a volunteer after being removed from an East Cleveland abandoned apartment building. The search continued after the discovery of three bodies wrapped in plastic bags last weekend.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerThe hearse containing the body of Angela Deskins prepares to head for the cemetery. Deskins' body was one of three found last weekend on a tip by Michael Madison, the accused murderer. Deskins was the first of the women to be buried.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerKimmetta Sheeley, mother of East Cleveland murder victim Shetisha Sheeley , is supported by a daughter during a memorial service. Sheeley was one of three women believed to be murdered in East Cleveland by Michael Madison.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerCleveland police place two markers on the site where the body of Christina Adkins was found. Adkins' body was stuffed in a manhole and her remains went undiscovered for 18 years until her killer, Elias Acevedo, confessed to the crime.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerBroadway School of Music is located in the Slavic Village neighborhood of Cleveland, a neighborhood considered ground zero in the nation’s foreclosure crisis. The mission of the school is to provide one-on-one quality music instruction to the community.Enya Blue, 6, sits on the bench while waiting for her Suzuki violin lesson at Broadway School of Music. Blue is one of five homeschooled children in her family that take music lessons. She is the fourth child.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerPiano instructor Bob Kuebler tries to get Gabriel Walker to read the music during a piano lesson at Broadway School of Music. Walker, who is autistic, has played piano since he was two. He takes violin and piano, back to back, at the school on Thursdays. Walker learned to play by ear but is now learning to read music.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerEnya Blue, 6, sings a song with instructor Laura Frazelle during Suzuki violin at Broadway School of Music. Blue is one of five homeschooled children in her family that take music lessons. She is the fourth child.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerSienna Blue, 5, jumps as she tries to bat at a Halloween decoration in the halls of Broadway School of Music. Blue is one of five homeschooled children in her family that take music lessons at Broadway School. She is the fifth child.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerTeacher Laura Frazelle teaches Sienna Blue, 5, proper posture to play violin at Broadway School of Music. Blue is one of five homeschooled children in her family. She's learning Suzuki violin.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerRomello Warren, 10, of Cleveland, drums inside the storefront lesson room at Broadway School of Music. The original music school was built on the second floor with the first floor housing small shops in case the music school didn't make it.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerGabriel Walker listens as his teacher, Laura Frazelle, plays a piece of music at Broadway School of Music. Walker, who is autistic, has played piano since he was two. He takes violin and piano, back to back, at the school on Thursdays.
, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerGabriel Walker, 14, gives a hug to his mother, Cecelia Smith, after apologizing to her for his behavior after a bad day at home. Walker was taking a violin lesson.
