Grand Jury Not Pressing Charges Against Hotel Clerk That Caused UAE Man's Arrest

AVON, OH - A Lorain County grand jury has decided not to press charges against a hotel clerk that falsely reported that a United Arab Emirate man was pledging allegiance to ISIS in the hotel lobby.

Police responded quickly to the call, arriving on the scene and drawing their weapons on the man before handcuffing him. Eventually police determined that the man was not a threat and released him, but not before a controversy blossomed and grabbed international headlines. Avon Mayor Bryan Jensen offered an apology to the man soon after.

The hotel clerk admitted to police that the man never actually said anything about ISIS.

Jensen has said the city does not intend to pursue charges against the clerk any further. His full statement is below.

Although we do not know what facts were presented to the Grand Jury, we respect the group’s decision not to return an indictment. At this time, we do not intend to pursue the matter further.

As we have said from the outset, this was a very regrettable situation and we remain very sorry that Mr. Al Menhali was detained based on the false information our police department received. Had our officers received accurate information, they would have reacted differently. However, given the information they received from the 911 callers, we believe they acted appropriately and professionally to resolve this situation.

There is a lesson in this incident for all of us who rely on our first responders to help us when we face serious threats – to ourselves, to our families, our neighbors and our property. As we all know, “When you see something, say something.” However, we must be careful to make sure those calls to 911 are based on fact, not assumptions. What someone reports to our dispatchers has a dramatic impact on how our safety officers respond. Bystanders and officers can be put in unnecessary danger by reporting false or exaggerated information.

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