Zack Reed's DUI trial starts in Cleveland Municipal Court

Cleveland City Councilman Zack Reed avoided the city's workhouse, and instead was permitted to serve his 10-day jail stint at a suburban detention facility.

(Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)

Cleveland City Councilman Zack Reed reported to the Solon Detention Facility this morning to serve a 10-day sentence for drunken driving.

(Updated at 4:20 p.m.)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The city of Cleveland requested special treatment for City Councilman Zack Reed, allowing him to serve his 10-day jail sentence for his third drunken driving conviction at a suburban detention center, rather than at the city's workhouse, where most inmates in his situation would end up.



The city also has agreed to pay the $85 per day expense.

Reed quietly reported to the Solon Detention Facility – a newer jail adjoined to the Solon Police Department headquarters – just after 8 a.m. Wednesday.

In a written statement, Maureen Harper, communications director for the city, said that city Safety Director Martin Flask asked the county if Reed could “serve his time at a facility better designed to house a high-profile prisoner.”

“The dormitory style House of Corrections may have put the Councilman at risk because he may have been sharing quarters with individuals who were the subject of complaints by the Councilman or may have been impacted by laws Mr. Reed helped enact,” Harper wrote. “While there was no specific threat, this decision was a proactive move to better ensure Mr. Reed's safety during incarceration.”

According to Cleveland Jail Manager Lisa Scafidi, the last high-profile inmate at the House of Correction was Reed, who was sentenced to 10 days there after his second drunken driving conviction in 2008.

At that time, city officials arranged for him to stay in the infirmary – which houses up to six people -- to isolate him from the general inmate population, Harper said.

Reed's council colleague Mike Polensek said Wednesday that the city did the right thing by protecting Reed.

"I don’t think you can take a chance," he said. "It's not like you're going to a country club. You're going to jail. And they have to err on the side of caution. You're dealing with a lot of people who have been arrested, sometimes because you turned their address in."

The Cleveland House of Correction on Northfield Road was built in 1988 and holds a maximum of 240 inmates. The facility is divided into five larger dormitory-style “prisoner bays,” each capable of holding 40 inmates, Harper said. Four “isolation bays” each can hold up to five prisoners, she said.

It costs $114 a day to keep an inmate at the city’s facility.

Built in 1997, the Solon jail houses 26 inmates, according to the police department’s website. Fourteen of the beds are in single occupancy, maximum-security cells, and 12 are divided between two dormitories.

Lt. Richard Tonelli, a spokesman for the police department, wouldn’t say just how cushy the facility is or whether Reed will have his own cell, citing security reasons for not describing the layout or prisoner accommodations.

“It’s not unusual for us to house prisoners from other municipalities or based on security concerns,” said Tonelli. “I wouldn’t necessarily call it a ‘nicer’ facility. They’re still incarcerated.”

Officers pulled Reed over on March 5 after he failed to stop at a malfunctioning traffic light and made an improper turn. Reed also was convicted of driving under the influence in 2005 and 2008.

With the two most recent convictions taking place within six years, Reed was subject to heightened penalties.

Reed’s sentence is technically 180 days in jail, with 90 days suspended. But the time he will actually serve is divided among jail time, alcohol-monitoring days and deferred time that he may or may not serve.

A judge ordered Reed to stay in an alcohol treatment program, including attending three meetings a week. He is also on probation for two years and must perform community service and pay a $1,500 fine.

In addition, until March of 2015, he may drive only with an ignition lock device that detects alcohol and with special plates that indicate his drunken driving record.

If the Ward 2 councilman is not complying with the terms of his sentence, he could be ordered to serve up to an additional 70 days in jail.