CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley announced on Thursday that a grand jury has indicted a Cleveland attorney for allegedly possessing child exploitation materials and drugs.
49-year-old Eric Norton was indicted on the following charges:
- One count of Illegal Use Of Minor In Nudity-Oriented Material Or Performance
- One count of Drug Possession
- One count of Illegal Conveyance Into Detention Facility
- One count of Tampering With Evidence
- One count of Possessing Criminal Tools
“I would like to thank the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department for their vigilance in this matter which prevented methamphetamine from entering the county jail,” said Prosecutor O’Malley. “I would also like to thank our Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) Force and the Cleveland Office of the FBI and for their work in this matter.”
According to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, Norton was meeting with an inmate at the jail on Dec. 15, 2022, and was asked to remove any items he had on him during the screening process.
Norton "abruptly left his belongings and walked off with a plastic bag containing 5.12 grams of methamphetamine," and went to the bathroom to discard the plastic bag. A sheriff discovered the small plastic bag that contained the drug and detained Norton.
Officials say that Norton's phone was obtained during a search warrant regarding the drug case. During the investigation, additional search warrants found child exploitation materials.
Norton is scheduled to be arraigned at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center on April 14.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above previously aired on 3News on March 28, 2023.
