CLEVELAND (WJW) — The Fox 8 News I-Team helped a property owner Wednesday clear another hurdle to keep a home months after a judge sent him to jail, sparking outrage.
Jeffrey Ivey took a step toward paying $26,000 in back taxes. He thinks what he did will also help speed up the process of making repairs to his property.
Ivey made headlines over the winter after Cleveland Housing Court Judge Mona Scott sent him to jail for not fixing up a home on East Boulevard.
Ivey said he had made efforts, but he was ripped off by contractors, and he struggled with bills.
His case struck a nerve, leading to protests since almost no one gets sent to jail by Housing Court, including slum landlords. Ivey spent several weeks in jail before lawyers working for free helped him develop a plan to clear up everything and make repairs.
Now, Ivey has transferred the property from a trust into his name, a critical step toward getting on a payment plan for his back taxes.
The I-Team followed the fight to get Ivey out of jail. Here, the I-Team contacted Cuyahoga County officials about some red tape holding up tax payments.
The County quickly straightened everything out. On his way out of the office building, Ivey expressed gratitude for the help from the County and Fox 8 News.
He said, “Appreciate you guys coming down here to help me out with this. I don’t know if I could’ve gotten it done without you. I think I was down here four or five times trying to get this executed.”
Ivey remains confident he can pay all of his taxes and get substantial property repairs made.
However, the Court is still monitoring his progress. He could be punished again if he does not move quickly enough for the Judge.