A Lake County grand jury has indicted the off-duty Cleveland police officer accused of firing a shot in a Painesville Township elementary school parking lot back on Halloween.
According to Lake County Court of Common Pleas records, Alexander S. Sinclair is charged with one count of improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, one count of improperly discharging a firearm at or in a school safety zone, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of abduction, two counts of endangering children, one count of assault, two counts of inducing panic and three counts of violating a protection order.
Court records show that he was issued a summons and ordered to appear in court on Friday at 8 a.m.
What happened?
The Lake County Sheriff's Office arrested Sinclair after deputies alleged he fired a shot into a car window during a domestic dispute. A school resource officer was able to detain him after a struggle.
The incident prompted a lockdown at Riverview Elementary School and postponed the school's Halloween parties.
A woman in the car described how Sinclair followed her to the school following an argument at a nearby daycare.
After dropping off one of her children, she said Sinclair then rammed his vehicle into hers, which prevented her from leaving the school's parking lot.
She said Sinclair then got out of his vehicle and "walked around the front of the car with his gun pointed at the window. He shot that firearm, and it went through my windshield."
The bullet did not hit anyone.
Two nearby schools went into lockdown as first responders swarmed the scene in response, shaking up parents who quickly came to take their children home.
Who is the officer?
Sinclair, 34, was once considered a rising star within the Cleveland Division of Police. Now, he’s facing criminal charges, including felonious assault and kidnapping.
Before working in the Fifth District, he briefly served as the department’s public information officer, where he worked with the media to provide information to the public and schedule interviews with police officials.
City records show he was hired in April 2015.
Cleveland’s current police spokesperson said Sinclair will be placed on leave pending the outcome of the shooting investigation and criminal charges.
