Alexander Lackey followed the victim and posted a picture of himself and the victim hugging in a window of his house visible to neighbors, the prosecutor says
CLEVELAND – Alexander Lackey, an aide to Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson on charges of rape and sexual abuse of a woman, is back in jail after violating his terms and conditions while awaiting trial.
Cuyahoga County Assistant Attorney Jennifer King said in a motion filed earlier this week that 36-year-old Lackey had shown obsessive behavior towards the victim, a 19-year-old immigrant.
On May 11, Lackey followed the victim after doing a landscaping job on Lorain Ave. in Cleveland, the prosecutor wrote in court records. The victim noticed Lackey and made several turns outside of her normal route home to confirm she was being followed. The victim then stopped on Valley Parkway in the metroparks, called the police, and took a picture of Lackey driving away in a car with another woman.
The Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department used Lackey’s GPS ankle monitor, which he is required to wear as part of his release, to confirm that he has crossed the route described by the victim.
After Lackey followed the victim, he placed a picture of himself and the victim hugging in the window of his home and visible to the neighbors, as per the prosecutor’s request. The application includes a picture of Lackey’s house, showing the picture of Lackey and the victim taped into the outside-facing window.
“This is an indication of obsessive and unstable behavior that no GPS monitoring can limit,” King wrote.
Lackey’s attorney, Henry Hilow, denies the prosecutor’s story. His motion to revoke Lackey’s bond was not available online. But Hilow, who is out of town, said on a phone call that Lackey regularly walks the park at that location and checked in earlier that day to drive there. He said any crossing of paths between the two was random. As for the picture in the window, he said Lackey believed the neighbors spied on him and he posted the picture to test the theory.
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court judge Kelly Ann Gallagher ordered Lackey to return to prison Wednesday after a hearing on the matter. She cut Lackey’s bond to 10 percent last month after another judge asked Lackey to pay the full $ 100,000 bond to get off. At the time Gallagher was de-binding, she ordered Lackey to wear a GPS monitor, hand in his passport, and stay away from the victim.
Lackey, who has not pleaded guilty to all chargeswas hired by the City of Cleveland as Jackson’s Special Assistant in December 2014. His last job was to coordinate the city’s programs with international delegations as well as art and cultural projects. According to the city hall released last month, he has been on paid leave since his arrest. His annual salary is $ 67,000. 3News asked City Hall to update Lackey’s employment status. This post will be updated with his answer.
Lackey was jailed on April 7th after being secretly charged in March. His allegations were first revealed by 3News.
CONNECTED: Cleveland Mayor’s Special Assistant Frank Jackson has been charged with 5 rapes
Lackey is charged with five rape, three sexual assault, and one domestic violence. According to the indictment and police records, Lackey molested the woman at his home in the Kamm’s Corner neighborhood between October 2018 and January 2019. The prosecutor said the abuse started when she was 17. The prosecutor said last month that Lackey had been secretly charged for traveling for his job and viewing him as a potential aviation hazard.
Editor’s Note: The video below is from a previously published, unrelated story
