CLEVELAND — The Ohio Adjutant General’s Department and Ohio National Guard said the state's Cyber-Response Force completed its mission at Cleveland Municipal Court in an e-mail sent to News 5 on Tuesday afternoon.
However, operations at Cleveland Municipal Court and Cleveland Housing Court remain mostly closed as the result of a cyberattack.
No court workers we spoke to could tell News 5 Investigators when the court's systems will be fully operational again.
The courts shut down a week ago Monday, a day after the court said it learned it was the victim of a cyberattack.
The court has only opened to process criminal complaints and arraign people sitting in the city's jail.
Despite repeated requests for information, court officials have not answered questions about who attacked the court's systems, what information was stolen, whether the attackers demanded a ransom, or if the hack is connected to a cyberattack that shut down Cleveland City Hall last summer.
Cleveland resident Willie Phelps was surprised to find Cleveland Housing Court closed on Tuesday afternoon.
He said no one notified him about the closure, and his court date was still on the court's online docket.
"What happened?" he asked. "I took off work and, you know, kind of shut some things down to come here."
He had hoped his court hearing would end a long dispute with his landlord.
Instead, it turned out to be the beginning of another headache.
"Are we going to get our identities stolen?," he asked. "What is the impact of this?"
"I got enough going on in my life," he said. "I don't need anything extra."
Phelps said he was disappointed the court's systems weren't more secure.
"You think about protecting all your information and the last people you'd think to lose your information — or not there to protect — is your own government," he said.
This is the full response we received from Heidi Griesmer, Deputy Director of Communication, Office of Public Affairs, for The Adjutant General's Department and Ohio National Guard:
"The Cleveland Municipal Court no longer needed our assistance, so our mission ended on Feb. 28. What I can say is that the Adjutant General’s Department Cyber-Response Force assisted with investigating the attack while conducting containment and eradication operations in cooperation with state and federal authorities. Any other questions should be directed to the Court."
News 5 Investigators have repeatedly reached to Administrative and Presiding Judge Michelle Earley for an on-camera interview, but she declined our requests.
The court sent this statement on behalf of Earley shortly before our report aired on News 5 at 5.
"The Cleveland Municipal Court is continuing its investigation into the cybersecurity incident. Upon identifying the incident, we immediately initiated our response protocols, implemented containment measures, and launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party professionals. We also notified law enforcement and are supporting its investigation. We are working diligently to determine what occurred and to restore normal court operations. We appreciate the patience and understanding of our community as we respond to the situation."
