The Cincinnati Enquirer has long been dedicated to covering the hilarious details of poor people being arrested, and this week was no different as reporter Ally Marotti put together a legit “Arrest roundup” on Monday, telling the tales of a guy spitting on people at a bus stop, one dude masturbating on the steps of a church, a woman caught with drug paraphernalia after stealing Fig Newtons from a UDF and another lady allegedly urinating on Findlay Market while “acting bizarre.”
Here's what passed for a homepage-worthy news story at Cincinnati.com Monday afternoon:
While such indecency by individuals who are likely afflicted by mental health and substance abuse problems is obviously of intense public interest (if anyone poops anywhere near CityBeat, we goddam sure want to know about it), this stellar roundup of arrests nearly took a backseat to the drama that unfolded in Indian Hill the night before — Robert S. Castellini, the 46-year-old son of Reds owner Bob Castellini, and his wife Deanna were arrested and charged with domestic violence for fighting in front of their children.
Crime reporter Kimball Perry was all over the story, as he has a long history of detailing the crayest of the cray in Hamilton County courtrooms, reporting on Monday that both Robert and Deanna went in front of a judge that morning and how court documents described "visible scratch marks around the neck of Ms. Castellini” and Robert having "visible scratches around his neck and shoulder."
Despite such drama and intrigue — three Castellinis work in the Reds front office and Robert’s lawyer is Hamilton County GOP chairman Alex Triantafilou — The Enquirer appears to have pulled the story from its website as of Tuesday afternoon. Here’s what comes up when you find Perry’s story through Google, titled “Reds' owners' son, daughter-in-law arrested”:
Fortunately for those who for so long have turned to The Enquirer for awesome stories about (mostly poor) people's problems, you can still find the cached page:
Domestic violence is a first-degree misdemeanor in Ohio and carries a six-month max sentence. Both Robert and Deanna were reportedly released on Monday after signing a piece of paper saying they’ll show up to later hearings.
CityBeat emailed Perry and Enquirer Editor Carolyn Washburn asking why the article was taken down and whether the Castellinis contacted them about the story. This story will be updated if they respond.
[UPDATE 6:57 P.M.: Washburn says no one contacted The Enquirer about the story. "An editor determined — and I agreed — that it did not meet our news standards for publication," Washburn wrote to CityBeat in an email Wednesday evening. "The Mr. Castellini in question is not a public figure, has nothing to do with the Reds, etc. We don't report every domestic charge in the community. But while that was being discussed, someone posted it. We quickly took it down but not before it began to get traction."]
[UPDATE 2: Washburn says publishing "Findlay market pee story" was an aberration and won't happen again.]
If a powerful local business leader wields influence over Washburn’s news-gathering operation, it wouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with her time in Idaho. Washburn was embroiled in business reporting controversies during her time as executive editor of the Gannett-owned Idaho Statesman from 1999-2005, where she just so happened to work under her current boss at The Enquirer, publisher Margaret Buchanan. The Statesman was criticized for catering to the state’s largest employer, Micron Technologies, though Washburn didn’t see any issue with its coverage or potential conflicts of interest.
CityBeat reported the following back in 2011 after The Enquirer announced her hire:
As Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) wrote in 2001: “The Idaho Statesman has a curious definition of 'fact checking.' The business editor of the Gannett-owned daily, Jim Bartimo, resigned when he was told that a story he had worked on about Micron Technologies, the area's largest employer, had to be sent for pre-publication 'review'... to Micron Technologies.”
Previously The Statesman's business news practices were examined by The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz, in articles from January and February 2000. Kurtz's article revealed that The Statesman reporter covering the Micron beat was married to a Micron employee.
When Kurtz asked Washburn about the paper's Micron coverage and whether it was afraid to be too critical, she replied, “It's not that it has anything to do with their being the biggest employer. What we write can affect a lot of people in this community. It can affect the stock price.”
WKRC Local 12 also reported the arrests on Monday, and its video and online version are still live here.
Robert S. Castellini is due back in court Aug. 18, and Deanna’s case is scheduled to continue Aug. 21. If Perry’s article miraculously reappears this story will be updated.
