A former Cuyahoga County corrections officer has entered a guilty plea to misdemeanor charges related to an incident involving harassment of jail employees with bodily substances. According to officials, the officer, Austin Casto, 24, also tendered his resignation and agreed to abandon any future employment as a corrections officer. Casto had been facing trial, set to commence yesterday, but opted to strike a plea deal instead.
The charges stem from a June 11 event in which Casto assisted inmate Romelle Smith, 23, in tossing unidentified bodily fluids at five employees, one of them being Warden Kevin O’Donnell. Following his indictment last June on five counts each of harassment by an inmate, Casto was found guilty of two counts of attempted harassment with bodily substance and was sentenced to six months in prison, reportedFOX8.
Since the arrest, Casto had been suspended without pay, a situation now rendered moot by his resignation. According to a press release from county officials cited byCleveland19, the Internal Affairs Unit of the Cuyahoga County Sheriff s Department carried out the investigation that led to Casto’s arrest and subsequent indictment on felony charges. These charges were later reduced to misdemeanors to which he pleaded guilty.
Romelle Smith, who was already serving at least 18 years for aggravated robbery, pleaded guilty to all five counts in his part of the harassment case and received an additional six-month sentence, which will run concurrently with his current imprisonment.As informed by WKYC, this concurrent sentencing means Smith will not effectively serve extra time for the harassment charges.
The Cuyahoga County Sheriff s Department has confirmed the guilty pleas and Casto s resignation, saying the justice system has duly processed the case. By agreeing never again to work as a corrections officer, Casto s career in law enforcement effectively ends on this note of misconduct and acknowledged culpability.
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