A year after a Mantua police officer faced child endangering charges that were later dropped, Officer Miranda Brothers has filed a lawsuit against the Portage County sheriff and the deputies who arrested her.
Brothers was arrested Jan. 1, 2024, after allegedly leaving her child in the care of Sabastian Paratore, who was “known to her and authorities” as a sexually oriented offender. Paratore, the complaint stated, was with the child Dec. 7 at the Main Street Sub Shop, 10689 Main St., which Paratore owns, “alone without any other adult supervision.”
Brothers was initially placed on administrative leave while the charges were pending. A misdemeanor charge of child endangering was dismissed in July.
The complaint, filed Dec. 31 by attorney Eric Fink, seeks compensatory damages of $25,000 for each of the six claims in the lawsuit, and punitive damages of $500,000. The “joint and several” damages were sought against each defendent named in the suit − Portage County commissioners; Portage County Sheriff’s Office; Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski; Detective Kenneth Romo, who now works for the Warren Police Department; and an unnamed detective in the sheriff’s office.
Neither Fink nor Assistant Portage County Prosecutor Chris Meduri could immediately be reached for comment.
What does the complaint allege?
The complaint states that two deputies were observing Main Street Sub Shop on Dec. 7, 2023, one watching the back entrance and the other watching the front. Neither deputy saw the child alone with Paratore, although the lawsuit states the deputy watching the front entrance saw the shop owner follow the child outside, where he zipped the child’s coat.
Detective Mischell Weber, the complaint states, had received reports that Brothers’ child was in the care of a registered sex offender. Weber investigated the allegations, the lawsuit states, and testified under oath that they were “unfounded” and “not accurate.”
However, the lawsuit states, about two weeks later, the Portage County Sheriff’s Office “developed a plan” to take Brothers’ child from her.
The arrest
On Jan. 1, 2024, deputies arrested Brothers as she exited the Ohio Turnpike and turned onto State Route 44 and drove into Mantua. As a result, the lawsuit states, Brothers’ child was removed from her custody and briefly placed in foster care, although he eventually was returned to her.
Brothers, the suit states, turned over her personal cell phone as well as her child’s tablet. A criminal complaint was filled, alleging that Brothers had allowed her child to be with Paratore, “alone without any other adult supervision.” That, the suit states, “directly contradicts sworn testimony” of deputies who observed the child on Dec. 7.
Detectives, the lawsuit states, did a “forensic search” of the images on Brothers’ phone, and didn’t find any images or text messages indicating that the child had been left alone with Paratore. However, the lawsuit states, an “unnamed detective” came across Brothers’ “private digital images.”
“The Portage County Sheriff’s Office’s conduct of observing, sharing and/or disseminating the private images of Plaintiff Brothers was so extreme and outrageous that it went beyond all possible bounds (of) decency and is intolerable in a civilized community,” the lawsuit states. The incident, the lawsuit states, caused “psychological injury,” and Brothers “suffered mental anguish of a nature no reasonable person could be expected to endure.”
The suit also claims the sheriff’s office engaged in “malice in prosecution” by continuing the case, even after deputies found no evidence to back up allegations against Brothers, and after an April 15 hearing found “no evidence of a crime.” The suit also alleges that the sheriff’s office endangered Brothers’ “business interests” by prosecuting her, knowing that she was likely to be suspended or terminated, and that her arrest would make it difficult to find another job.
Past investigation
In 2023, a six-month investigation into the romantic relationship between Mantua Police Chief Joseph Urso and Brothers recommended that both be disciplined for violating village policies.
The investigation came after Mayor Tammy Meyer, who was then president of Mantua Village Council, filed a formal letter of complaint, alleging favoritism and misuse of village resources.
Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Mantua cop sues sheriff after prosecution, seeks $3.25 million