WCPO Meteorologist Steve Raleigh Won’t Face Criminal Charges for June Fight Involving Sons

  Rassegna Stampa, Social
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WCPO chief meteorologist Steve Raleigh won’t face criminal charges for his involvement in a fight in June, according to a statement released by special prosecutor Mark Tekulve.

“It has been determined that criminal charges are not warranted against Mr. Steve Raleigh, as there is no evidence that he violated any criminal law,” said Tekulve.

Raleigh was involved in a scuffle between his sons and Doug and Lois Morrow, along with their adult son Troy, who were driving through the parking lot when they say one of Raleigh’s sons ran into their car. The Morrows claimed that Raleigh tried to convince them not to call the police. When they insisted, they said Raleigh’s other son attacked Troy.

“Seconds later I hear from a distance, ‘No one’s going to hit my dad!’ I look this way [left], someone coming from this way [right] clocks me in the side of the head; I stagger back; he dives on me; he was on my throat with both hands choking me,” Troy Morrow said in a press conference.

The Morrows said that when they tried to get Raleigh’s son off their son, he threw them to the ground. Both hit their heads on the pavement and went to the hospital. Lois Morrow ended up with a cracked skull, bleeding on the brain, a detached retina, and a black eye.

“I appreciate the validation regarding my involvement,” Raleigh said in a statement. “I want to thank family, friends, colleagues, and viewers for their patience and support. I look forward to returning to work soon.”

The Morrow family’s attorney also released a statement, saying, “We never suspected that Steve Raleigh committed a crime. Steve exercised poor judgment and may have committed civil wrongs, but not crimes.”

A special prosecutor was appointed after court documents cited a “conflict of interest” in the investigation. Raleigh’s father-in-law, former Hamilton County prosecutor, sheriff and judge Simon Leis. Leis has endorsed current Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers in the upcoming election for prosecutor.

WCPO’s general manager confirmed that Raleigh would soon return to his role as chief meteorologist.

The investigation into the incident doesn’t end with Steve Raleigh, though. “With respect to the others involved in this incident [Raleigh’s sons and the Morrows], the Clermont County Prosecutor’s Office will present evidence and information to the Hamilton County Grand Jury for its consideration in the upcoming weeks,” Tekulve wrote in the press release.

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