Juvenile Justice Failures on Full Display As Ohio Teen Faces Murder Charges

Ohio’s gubernatorial race remains way too close for comfort for Second Amendment supporters, with RealClearPolling showing Democrat Amy Acton with a 0.2 percent lead over Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. 

If Acton wins in November, progress in strengthening Ohio’s Second Amendment protections will likely come to a screeching halt. To compound that danger, Acton is far more likely than Ramaswamy to take a soft-on-crime approach like the one offered up by Ohio’s Department of Youth Services a couple of years ago. In 2024 the department released a report that called for no juvenile detention for offenders younger than 14, and no mandatory detention for juveniles who commit violent crimes with firearms. 

I think the Buckeye State should actually be looking to get tougher on juvenile offenders, because cases like the one below are evidence that the juvenile justice system has some serious issues. 

Before a 16-year-old was accused of fatally shooting a 14-year-old in East Price Hill, he had already entered the juvenile justice system, disappeared from a children’s services placement and missed a court hearing on pending drug and property-damage complaints.

… The teen is now accused of purposely causing Rakeem Blair Jr.’s death on Aug. 18. Because he is a juvenile, WCPO is not identifying him.

He faces two murder counts, felonious assault and having a weapon while under disability. Each murder and felonious assault count includes firearm specifications.

A separate criminal complaint alleges the teen had a loaded gun on him when Cincinnati police took him into custody Aug. 24.

This suspect has been involved in the juvenile justice system for two years, and during that time his alleged criminal activities have only escalated. He was charged with felony breaking and entering in October 2024, but was able to plead down to a misdemeanor attempted breaking and entering charge last May. He was adjudicated delinquent, but received little punishment other than a probationary sentence. 

He allegedly violated that probation in July while in the care of Montgomery County Children’s Services. Cincinnati police charged him with possession of cocaine and codeine without a prescription, as well as damage to a property in Hamilton County. He was ordered to appear in court on August 12, but fled the home where he’d been placed and remained on the loose until he was taken into custody earlier this week. 

Ohio’s juvenile justice system has had multiple opportunities to closely supervise this teenager by keeping him in custody, but as is the case with most youthful offenders, the state appears to have gone out of its way to keep him out of juvenile detention. 

Now, there’s no guarantee that Ramaswamy will overhaul Ohio’s juvenile justice system if he’s elected in November, but I’d say he’s far more likely to try to implement needed reforms than Acton, despite her attempts to portray herself as pro-law and order. Acton has also downplayed her support for gun control, knowing her stance would turn off a significant number of voters in the state, but she’s still palling around with Moms Demand Action activists, and the group is actively supporting her campaign. Acton may be laying low on gun control now, but if she wins in November you can count on Ohio’s lawful gun owners being a bigger target than violent criminals above and below the age of 18. 

Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their extreme gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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