Cleveland, Ohio — On Tuesday, a Port Clinton woman admitted to felony charges for her involvement in last year’s Cleveland street takeovers.
According to Cuyahoga County prosecutors, Ashlyn Rogers, 23, orchestrated and took part in seven street takeovers on September 28 and 29.
In November, a county grand jury indicted her on felony charges including disrupting public services, aggravated riot, and possessing criminal tools. Her jury trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday before Common Pleas Judge Kira Krivosh.
Instead, Rogers pleaded guilty to disrupting public services and aggravated rioting. Her attorney, Brad Wolfe, and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Connor Davin, agreed to the plea in exchange for dropping the charge of possessing criminal tools.
Krivosh set her sentence for July 15.
As part of the agreement, Rogers must turn over her 2020 Infiniti Q50 and cell phone to Cleveland police.
According to prosecutors, Rogers used her Instagram accounts to provide street takeover participants with instructions and updates on their locations. She also drove her Infiniti to a street takeover near West 25th Street and Lorain Avenue on September 29, according to prosecutors.
Rogers “was the leader in the planning and execution of the September takeovers in Cleveland,” County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley stated at the time of her indictment. “Ashlyn will soon realize she should have stayed in Port Clinton that night.”
Rogers faces up to 18 months in prison for disrupting services, and up to a year for aggravated riot.
Last fall, hundreds of people took over at least 16 intersections, highways, and parking lots throughout Cleveland.
Drivers careened in endless and reckless circles, while others set fires, clogged traffic, and filmed the scene.
In October, a state law went into effect to prohibit “hooning” — a practice in which motorists take over a road or intersection and drive recklessly.
Several street takeover participants have since been sentenced to prison. In April, a Parma man was sentenced to three years in prison for his role, while a Strongsville man received nine months.
In March, two men who had driven up from Barberton to participate in takeovers were sentenced to one year in prison.
They claimed to have been drawn to the scene after seeing Instagram videos.
