Cleveland 'Hero' Charles Ramsey Is A Convicted Wife Beater

By Jen Chung in News on May 8, 2013 9:05PM

Charles Ramsey, the Cleveland resident who helped free a woman and her child held captive in his neighbor's house (leading to the discovery of two other victims), has insisted that he's not a hero. Now it turns out that he is a wife beater.

The Smoking Gun reports that Ramsey "was once a repeat spousal abuser whose marriage ended in divorce following a 2003 felony conviction for battering his wife."

Ramsey’s first domestic violence charge came in February 1997. He entered a no contest plea a year later and was found guilty of the count by a Cleveland Municipal Court judge. While waiting to be sentenced, Ramsey was again arrested for domestic violence.

At the time of Ramsey’s second collar, in July 1998, he was already the subject of an arrest warrant issued in connection with his failure to appear for a court hearing in the first domestic violence case. As a result, Ramsey was jailed for violating terms of his release on bond. Ramsey subsequently entered a no contest plea to the second case and was, again, found guilty by a Cleveland judge.

The domestic violence cases apparently were consolidated for sentencing in August 1998, when Ramsey was ordered to serve six months in jail, placed on five years probation, and directed to attend a domestic violence counseling program.

Following his release from custody, Ramsey violated probation terms, according to an April 1999 court docket entry. While an arrest warrant was issued for Ramsey, it is unclear from court records whether it was executed before both misdemeanor cases were formally closed several years later.

Ramsey was again arrested for domestic abuse in January 2003. He was subsequently indicted for felony “domestic violence with prior conviction,” a reference to his previous abuse cases.

Ramsey’s ex-wife Rochelle told The Smoking Gun that he eventually apologized but, "The only thing is he never paid child support... The county has taken his driving privileges away for non-support." Which may be why he was riding his bike.

Ramsey, who works as a dishwasher, has told reporters he first thought the screaming from his neighbor's house was due to a domestic incident. He says that any reward money should go to the kidnapping victims.

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