YOUNGSTOWN — Three Ohio women have filed a federal lawsuit accusing the City of Warren, its police chief and a former officer of enabling a years-long pattern of sexual assaults and misconduct by law enforcement against vulnerable residents, according to court documents.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, alleges ex-officer Michael Edwards Jr. raped, sexually battered and extorted multiple women between 2019 and 2024 while on duty and in uniform.
Edwards was convicted in September 2024 on charges including rape, sexual battery and theft in office following a Trumbull County trial and is incarcerated at Toledo Correctional Institution.
Plaintiffs Monica Mason, Caitlin Brannan and Lori Hemberger accuse Warren officials of fostering a police department culture that permitted sexual crimes against women, particularly targeting sex workers and those struggling with addiction.
The lawsuit cites Edwards’ alleged jailhouse admission that other high-ranking officers engaged in similar misconduct and claims a 2019 harassment complaint against Edwards was ignored. The City of Warren, police Chief Erik J. Merkel and Edwards are named as defendants.
The suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages under federal civil rights law and Ohio state law, alleging Fourth and 14th Amendment violations and “reckless and wanton misconduct” by leadership.
According to the complaint, Edwards used threats of arrest or exposure to coerce sexual acts.
One plaintiff secretly recorded an encounter with Edwards at a motel, which prosecutors later used as evidence. Another alleges he raped her during a purported domestic disturbance call.
The lawsuit invokes the Supreme Court’s Monell precedent, arguing the city maintained unconstitutional customs enabling officer misconduct.
No responses from defendants had been filed as of Tuesday.
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