Chardon to Columbus: No Parole for T.J. Lane
December 1, 2016 by Jamie Ward

"I would prefer to never hear about him again." – Prosecutor Jim Flaiz

Chardon community, county prosecutor and more urge Columbus to take parole off table for juveniles convicted of murder.

Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz is upset at Ohio legislators who are trying to update the state’s juvenile offender sentencing laws.

He says the proposed changes could set free convicted murderer T.J. Lane, who is serving a lifetime sentence without parole for shooting and killing three of his Chardon High School classmates in February of 2012.

“When we told the community it would be life without parole … the fact that family and the community has to deal with this again … that fact that he is even coming up,” Flaiz said Thursday. “It’s just outrageous.”

What Flaiz also can’t believe is one of the bill’s primary co-sponsors is state Sen. John Eklund (R-Munson Township), who represents communities within the Chardon school district.

Flaiz drove to Columbus on Wednesday to testify before the Ohio Senate’s Criminal Justice Committee, a committee Eklund chairs. You can read his full testimony here.

At stake is House Bill 521 and Senate Bill 272, both dealing with reforming the juvenile sentencing system.

Eklund’s senate bill would establish a way for juvenile offenders to seek review of their sentences in the following circumstances:

• If the prisoner’s state term totals at least 15 years, the prisoner is eligible for parole after serving 15 years.

• A prisoner whose sentence permits parole after 15 years or more, the prisoner is eligible for parole after serving 15 years.

• If the prisoner is serving a sentence of life without parole, the prisoner is eligible for parole upon turning age 40.

It’s that part of the senate bill that could affect Lane.

One of the lawyers involved in Lane’s appeal in state court, Michael A. Partlow, of Kent, supports the bills — but not because it could benefit Lane. In fact, he says the laws would “do very little” in Lane’s case.

“In theory it could impact him, but if you look at the statistics … you’re going to find that the (Ohio Parole Board) is extremely conservative and very few people involved in any type of murder get paroled,” Partlow said. “I seriously doubt it would affect (Lane) unless something seriously changed.”

That small chance has Flaiz and Chardon Schools community members upset.

“Nobody can sit here and tell anybody what’s going to happen 20 years from now,” Flaiz said. “For people to say he’s never going to get paroled, that’s disingenuous.”

Nick Miraglia was a freshman at Chardon High School and was inside the cafeteria when Lane started shooting. When the news of the law changes popped up on his Facebook feed, he felt betrayed.

“Whether the lawmakers recognize it or not, they are going to make T.J. Lane parole-eligible,” said Miraglia, now a student at Miami University studying political science.

Miraglia has written an opinion piece for cleveland.com and sought signatures online. Within 24 hours, he had about 300 people sign his letter to Gov. John Kasich from the “The Chardon Community.”

“Much of this suffering still lingers in the souls of those that have survived,” Miraglia wrote. “The passage of these bills would guarantee that this pain and uneasiness would become permanent residents.”

Montel Williams became an outspoken supporter of the Chardon Schools community on Twitter after the incident. The television personality even attended two Chardon football games in 2012 and has continued to reach out to Chardon.

On Nov. 30, Williams tweeted: “I believe in Criminal Justice Reform, I believe in giving offenders who committed crimes at a very young age a shot at redemption, but so too do I believe that you are entitled to the peace of mind knowing T.J. will NEVER get out of jail.”

Lane escaped from the Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio, in September 2014 before being recaptured the next day. News of that escape re-opened the wound for many in the Chardon Schools community.

“Remember, just like we talked about back when he escaped, don’t rent T.J. space in your head for free,” Williams wrote on Twitter.

The Ohio House of Representatives passed its version of the bill in May. It granted someone with Lane’s sentence parole eligibility after serving 35 years in prison. State Reps. John Patterson (D-Jefferson) and Sarah LaTourette (R-Chester Township) both voted for that bill, which passed 92-4.

Both said those votes were a mistake and both would have voted no. Those details here.

Flaiz said the bill could be amended to address some juvenile offenders and exclude those convicted of aggravated murder.

Eklund, who is scheduled to speak with the Geauga County Maple Leaf on Friday, testified in April before the Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee that he felt decisions by the United States Supreme Court warranted the changes.

His office said Thursday morning it has been inundated with telephone calls about the bill.

The senate bill still needs to be voted out of committee, approved by the entire Ohio Senate and then reconciled with the Ohio House bill before it would go to Kasich for a signature and become law.

“I would prefer to never hear about him again,” said Flaiz. “I think we should remember and honor the victims, but I would also be very happy if I never heard his name again. That’s what frustrating.”