Kyle Raleigh, son of WCPO 9 Chief Meteorologist Steve Raleigh, has pleaded guilty on amended assault charges from a June incident at the Montgomery Inn Boathouse parking lot.
In September, Kyle Raleigh was indicted on one count of felonious assault and two counts of aggravated assault, all felonies, for the June 22 incident in which two elderly people were injured. Doug Morrow, 79, and his wife Lois Morrow, 76, were both injured following a fender-bender dispute with members of the Raleigh family.
According to case documents, Kyle Raleigh “used deadly force” and “knowingly caused serious physical harm” to individuals involved in the attack “while under the influence of sudden passion or in a sudden fit of rage.” But on Wednesday, Kyle Raleigh pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor assault charges. The judge accepted the amended charges in the guilty plea.
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Konrad Kircher, an attorney representing members of the Morrow family, told CityBeat his clients are happy with the plea agreement, but his work is not done.
“We did agree to the reduced charges,” Kircher told CityBeat. “We are pleased that Mr. Raleigh has accepted responsibility and the next step is then establishing compensation for the harm that he’s caused.”
Kircher said the Morrows are seeking restitution for medical bills in the criminal case, but that a “large majority of the compensation” will be pursued outside the criminal court in a civil case.
Kyle Raleigh will be given his sentence on Jan. 15. The Morrows plan to share extensive victim impact statements at the sentencing hearing, according to Kircher.
Troy Morrow, the son of Doug and Lois Morrow, still faces one misdemeanor count of menacing for the incident. Kircher did not have any update on Troy’s charges and said he is being represented by a public defender.
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Background on the case:
It all started the evening of June 22 in the parking lot of the Montgomery Inn Boathouse on Riverside Drive. That’s when Carter Raleigh, Steve Raleigh’s 28-year-old son, allegedly hit the Morrow family’s Ford F-150 pickup truck while driving his grandfather’s Cadillac Escalade in the parking lot. The Morrows allege that Carter Raleigh got out of the family’s Escalade and began arguing with the Morrow family. It wasn’t long before the Morrows say Steve Raleigh emerged from the direction of the restaurant, asking them not to call the police. Witnesses reported that a physical confrontation ensued, resulting in serious injuries to Lois Morrow and her husband Douglas, who both suffered concussions and other significant injuries.
The Morrows and their attorney maintain it was Kyle Raleigh who was the aggressor in the attack.
In a July 10 Facebook post, Stacie Morrow-Stickrod, the daughter of the victims, said her mother was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion, fractured skull, brain bleeding, a contusion on the back of her head that required staples, a detached eye lens and cuts and bruises to her arms and legs. Her father was also knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion, the post said. Additionally, Morrow-Stickrod shared on July 23 that Lois Morrow was told on July 19 that she was showing signs of dementia as a result of the alleged attack.
Cameras at the Montgomery Inn’s Boathouse location weren’t working, but in Morrow-Stickrod’s July 10 Facebook post about the incident, she included a now-viral video that appears to capture the aftermath of the assault.
The over-three-minute video launched this story into the national spotlight, depicting a chaotic scene. The blurry video shows an argument, and as the person filming regains balance, Douglas and Lois Morrow are both seen lying on the pavement, with blood visible next to Lois Morrow’s head.
In the video, Kevin Youkilis, a former UC and Red Sox baseball player, is seen arguing with Steve Raleigh. Youkilis addressed the viral video in a July 13 Facebook post, saying he was eating dinner with an agent when he saw the incident break out. Youkilis tried to de-escalate the situation, according to his Facebook post.
Weeks after the incident, Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve was appointed special prosecutor for the case after Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers stepped back from the investigation.
What happened to Steve Raleigh?
Steve Raleigh, a local celebrity, has appeared on WCPO 9 News for almost 20 years. Once the video of the incident at Montgomery Inn went viral, WCPO released a statement implying there was more to the story and that Steve Raleigh hadn’t been charged with a crime. Steve Raleigh’s social media pages quickly disappeared after the parking lot video started racking up views. Hours later, he was notably absent from WCPO’s 5 p.m. newscast, remaining off-air in the weeks that followed.
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By September, Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve announced that there was no evidence Steve Raleigh violated any criminal law during the viral Montgomery Inn parking lot incident.
“During the course of this investigation, 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,” Tekulve said in a press release. “Accordingly, as to Mr. Steve Raleigh, this investigation is closed.”
Steve Raleigh returned to the air after the announcement.
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This article appears in Dec 11-24, 2024.