CLEVELAND — A former East Cleveland police officer will spend the next two and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to robbing drivers during traffic stops.
Investigators said 35-year old Alfonzo Cole robbed four drivers, stealing cash, guns and drugs while on-duty working for the East Cleveland Police Department.
Proseuctors said the robberies occurred between September 2020 and July 2021. They were discovered when a man went to police and reported that Cole stole money the man planned to use for his grandmother's funeral.
"They used their authority, they used their power for their own profit and their own gain," said Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Mary Grace Tokmenko.
Tokmenko told the judge during sentencing Monday that in each case, Cole's body camera was not activated.
Cole's attorney blamed what happened on a series of bad decisions.
"If he could do his life over again, judge, he'd do things different," said defense attorney Rufus Sims. "But we can't."
Cole, who must also surrender his police officer certification, told Judge Tim McGinty he hoped to learn from his mistakes.
"I want to apologize to the victims," said Cole. "I made a series of bad decisions. Since then, I lost a lot of family members, friends, my career, pretty much my whole life."
The seriousness of the charges were not lost on McGinty, who said Cole's actions robbed the community of a sense of safety.
"It shakes you right to your foundation," said McGinty. "The police, the people you call for help, the last resort, they themselves rob people in that city."
As part of the plea deal with prosecutors, Cole also pleaded guilty to theft in office, and one count each of having weapons under disability and carrying a concealed weapon.
The weapons charges stem from an unrelated incident at a Cleveland gas station in May 2023.
As part of the 30-month prison sentence, Cole was also ordered to re-pay the victims he stole from and pay $40,000 in fines.
