Hearing delayed for Euclid man

Man who killed an Eastlake man on his birthday is asking for early release

A Euclid man a decade into an 18-year prison sentence for a crash that killed an Eastlake man will wait another week to make his case for early release.

Mario Redding, 31, was scheduled to appear before Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Dick Ambrose July 12, but his attorneys have asked for an- other week for research. The hearing has been rescheduled for July 20.

In July 2007, Redding ran a stop sign and crashed into Edmund “Eddy” Roland’s Honda motorcycle. Roland was thrown from his bike at the corner of E. 186th Street and St. Clair Avenue in Cleveland on his 21st birthday and died from his injuries in the hospital. Redding was out on bond at the time on a pending drug case and was driving without a license. He fled the scene without stopping.

Redding pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and unrelated counts of trafficking in crack cocaine and possession of crack. He has been in prison

“Mr. Redding is now (31) years old and is no longer the irresponsible kid who made poor decisions and broke the law.” — Defense attorney Paul Daiker

since Dec. 6, 2007.

During his time in prison, Redding has racked up 79 infractions, including threatening the lives of officers, cellphone violations and drug offenses.

Redding, however, says he’s a changed man. He filed his first motion for judicial release in December 2016, but was denied without a hearing based on his multiple convictions and a negative institutional support.

He was granted another hearing by Ambrose after not receiving a rule infraction ticket at Warren Cor-

rectional Institution since Jan. 18, 2017.

“Mr. Redding is now (31) years old and is no longer the irresponsible kid who made poor decisions and broke the law,” Redding’s defense attorney Paul Daiker wrote in the motion seeking early release. “Mr. Redding has learned that his past behavior and bad choices are not the path that he would like to take to live out the rest of his life. Mr. Redding has begun the process of putting a premium on his family and becoming a productive member of society upon his release from prison.”

In his request for early release, Redding listed a series of certificates and letters he

obtained while serving in prison. However, documents from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office confirm there were inaccuracies on at least four of the records Redding provided.

The discrepancies were first discovered by Roland’s brother Jeff Cook of Mentor. Cook had previously worked at Lake Erie Correctional Institution, and while working there, he overheard inmates talk about forging certificates. After Redding filed his request for early release, Cook began his own investigation into the documents.

Cook’s discovery has led to a statewide investigation Ohio Highway Patrol into document falsifications.