CLEVELAND, Ohio – A senior Cleveland City Court employee is charged with sexually assaulting a woman in his office in the downtown Justice Center.
Zino Kirby, 50, is charged with rape. He is not in police custody, but an arrest warrant was issued against him on Thursday. Court records do not list an attorney for Kirby.
Kirby is an officer in the pre-trial section of the court, according to the city’s employment files. The division is responsible for providing judges with recommendations for detainment or release from custody and treatment options during ongoing legal proceedings.
He used his position in the court to facilitate the crime, as evidenced by the court files filed in the case.
Kirby began working for the city in December 1994 and has been in his current position since 2018, according to the city.
Court spokesman Ed Ferenc said he was unaware of the charges but would look into the matter.
The incident took place in Kirby’s office in the Justice Center in downtown Cleveland on July 26, according to court records.
Kirby bared his penis on a 27-year-old woman, grabbed her hair, tried to force her to have oral sex with him and told her to do so, according to court records.
Further details are not contained in the court records. Cleveland Police Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said a police report will be released after the city legal department investigates it.
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