Top 10 stories: Jail death case unresolved; former Mansfield priest gets life in prison
The News Journal is counting down the top stories of 2023. Today the series continues with the No. 8 and No. 7 stories of 2023.
No. 8: Former Mansfield priest imprisoned for life
A Roman Catholic priest who had ties to Mansfield was sentenced last month to life in prison on federal sex-trafficking charges.
The Rev. Michael Jude Zacharias was convicted at a May trial of five counts of sex trafficking, two of which involved victims who were minors. His trial took place in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Ohio in Toledo.
A resolution to the case was judged the No. 10 story of 2023 by News Journal staffers and online metrics.
He was sentenced Nov. 17 in federal court in Toledo. Zacharias' crimes spanned 15 years, from July 2005 to August 2020. He was an associate pastor at Mansfield St. Peter's from July 2002 to July 2007.
Toledo Bishop Daniel Thomas was quick to issue a statement following the sentencing.
"(The) sentencing of Michael Zacharias in federal court marks another step towards justice for all of those harmed by his actions," Thomas said. "As I expressed ... following his conviction, 'The acts of which Rev. Michael Zacharias has been found guilty are reprehensible, morally deplorable and manifestly contrary to the dignity of each human person and the dignity of the priesthood."
Thomas said the Toledo diocese, in accord with canon (church) law, requested the imposition of the penalty of direct dismissal of the clerical state, which would return Zacharias to lay state.
The case was sent to the Pope, who has the authority to make the final determination about Zacharias' status as a priest in the church.
"We are awaiting the response," Thomas said. "With this sentencing and as we await a decision from the Holy See, it is my hope and prayer that healing may continue and justice be restored, as we remain vigilant in confronting evil."
No. 7: Case involving death of Richland County Jail inmate results in mistrial
More than four years after a Richland County Jail inmate died following an altercation with corrections officers, the case is still not resolved.
In November, a jury could not reach a verdict in the case against former corrections officer Mark Cooper, causing Richland County Common Pleas Judge Brent Robinson to declare a mistrial.
The case will be tried again on April 15, 2024.
Cooper, 56, is charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, one a first-degree felony, the other a third-degree felony; and reckless homicide, a third-degree felony.
His charges are in connection with the death of Alexander Rios, 28. He was subdued by several corrections officers after running out of a holding cell on Sept. 19, 2019. Rios was in the county jail on a warrant.
Following the confrontation with corrections officers, Rios was taken to OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital, but he never regained consciousness. His family took him off life support eight days later.
Medina County Prosecutor Forrest Thompson, who tried the case when local prosecutors recused themselves, said Rios' family wants the case retried.
In a jail video, several corrections officers can be seen holding Rios down, stepping and kneeling on his back while an officer punches his head into the concrete floor and they struggle to handcuff him.
Thompson and co-counsel Scott Salisbury maintain Cooper killed Rios when the 250-pound man stood on his back with both feet.
Thompson made the call to try the case a second time.
"I think the family deserves justice, and I think the community deserves justice," he previously told the News Journal.
In the first trial, jurors deliberated for about 12 hours over the course of three days before the foreperson sent a note to Robinson, telling him they could not come to a consensus on any of the three counts.
"Frankly, given the outcome of the first trial, we didn't know which way they were going to go," defense attorney James Mayer III said regarding a possible retrial. "Of course, we were looking forward to hearing from Mr. Thompson and Mr. Salisbury with respect to what essentially amounts to their call."
While the matter is pending, Cooper remains out on bond.
Tomorrow: The News Journal's countdown of the year's top stories continues with a look at the #6 and 5 stories of 2023.
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: News Journal's top 10 stories include jail death trial and priest case
