Stokes, Ex-Cleveland Mayor, Cleared in Theft
From Associated Press
SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio —
A jury Friday night found former Cleveland Mayor Carl B. Stokes innocent of a petty theft charge for taking a $17.25 bag of dog food from a store without paying.
The eight-member jury deliberated for about three hours before returning the verdict.
Stokes, now a Cleveland municipal judge, testified in his own defense Friday that he had always intended to pay for the dog food.
“I’m not going to take a bag of anything without paying for it,” said Stokes in his testimony in Shaker Heights Municipal Court.
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