A Cleveland police officer has pled guilty to charges relating to his assault of a 12-year-old girl on August 16th. Solomon Nhiwatiwa has been held in jail on a $300,000 bond since his August arrest.
He pled guilty to felony charges of attempted kidnapping, pandering obscenity, disseminating matter harmful to juveniles and endangering children.
He will also be required to register as a sex offender for the next 15 years and faces up to 7 and a half years in prison at his sentencing hearing on January 21st.
As a result of his plea bargain, the charges of assault, interfering with custody and public indecency have been dropped.
Police reports of the incident describe an off-duty Nhiwatiwa asking a 12-year-old girl at a bus stop if she needed a ride to school. When she wisely refused his offer, he drove away—only to return minutes later.
Upon his return, Nhiwatiwa took out his cell phone and filmed himself urinating on the girl while verbally abusing her before quickly returning to his car and fleeing the scene.
Cleveland cop accused of urinating on girl in attempted kidnapping
The girl was waiting for a bus when Officer Nhiwatiwa asked if she wanted a ride — she declined. He left, but came back and “began urinating on the victim" before driving away, police say. https://t.co/Sowc3oxTOD
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) August 22, 2019
Please tell me this is, in fact, Fake News!!!! What the actual F?!?
— Mare 💙🇺🇸💔 (@KittyKittay) August 22, 2019
Around the time that the girl’s mother reported the assault, a concerned resident called 911 to report a suspicious person going around the neighborhood looking into cars. It was later discovered that this was also Nhiwatiwa.
Police seized Nhiwatiwa’s phone after his arrest, but have been unable to unlock the phone to retrieve the video of the incident, according to Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Carl Sullivan.
We need more vetting!!
— T.M.N (@Newfamilyguy) August 22, 2019
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said that the prosecution’s goal in this case was to see Nhiwatiwa in prison and to make sure he never serves as a law enforcement officer again.
This plea bargain accomplishes both of those goals, as Nhiwatiwa was also required to forfeit his police commission.
He had better be on a registered list now!!!
He brought shame against the badge and he will never be aloud to be a LEO ever again!
Trash of a man. Poor little girl.— ALEXIS KILEY (@ALEXISKILEY) August 27, 2019
After the plea hearing, O’Malley commented on the disgraceful act.
“It’s just something that shocks the conscious when you read it. You think to yourself how could any human being, let alone a law enforcement officer engage in that type of activity, but he did.”
He said of the plea deal:
“He’s now been held accountable, he’s going to be sentenced to prison. My best wishes for that young child in the future as she goes on with her life.”
“This individual will no longer be driving around the city of Cleveland in a police car and that’s a good thing.”
You can view local news station News 5 Ckeveland’s coverage below:
Cleveland police Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia told The New York Post that Nhiwatiwa will continue to remain on unpaid administrative leave until his sentencing, and will likely be fired after an internal investigation is completed.
