Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, has called for the resignation of Judge Brian Hagan in Ohio, following the revelation that he released a repeat offender onto the streets just days before she allegedly killed a young child.
The Fox 8 investigation team out of Cleveland found that Bionca Ellis had been arrested multiple times and even told Cleveland officers she wanted to kill someone. On June 3, Ellis allegedly stabbed 3-year-old Julian Wood to death in the parking lot of a North Olmstead grocery store.
On Wednesday, the Ohio senator posted on X: "This is not the first time we've heard complaints about this judge. He should resign, or the voters should fire him next election."
In May, Ellis was arrested for violating probation in a theft case, but police told the investigative team their computers did not show she had low-level warrants for assault in California. Rocky River Judge Brian Hagan released Ellis from jail on her probation violation days before the murder despite a magistrate recommending a mental health check.
Detective Lt. Matthew Beck told the outlet that it was not realistic to expect every contact with law enforcement to show up in police computers.
"If every law enforcement contact was entered into a database, there would be nothing, but it's just not physically possible. To do that at a national level would be overload to the system," he said.
When asked by Fox 8 why no mental health check was done and how to prevent a similar incident in the future, Hagan told the outlet he wouldn't do anything different. "So, there wasn't any red flags shooting up that pole. There wasn't any indications here. No sign of previous, violent acts," Hagan said.
Vance has emerged as a top contender to be former President Donald Trump's vice-presidential nominee.
Newsmax has reached out to the office of Vance for further comment.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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