TOLEDO, Ohio — Editor's note: The above report first aired May 12, 2023.
WTOL 11’s award-winning investigative team will be hosting a phone bank Wednesday.
If you believe you have a tip on government corruption, criminal injustice or consumer fraud, we would like to talk to you. You can reach an 11 Investigates team member by calling 419-725-1600 on Wednesday, May 17, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
A tip from last July’s phone bank resulted in two significant Toledo housing investigations. In November, 11 Investigates reported that dozens of deceased residents were still being penalized for delinquent property taxes and also being prosecuted for nuisance properties. Several of those residents had been dead for more than a decade.
In February, we reported on the severe issues involving the city of Toledo's fire escrow account. The account contains insurance money held for residents until they make repairs or demolish their fire-damaged homes.
Multiple times during the past several years, the city has transferred money out of the account, declaring that residents had abandoned the money and stating that those residents could not be found. However, the 11 Investigates team continues to find property owners on the list. Many claim they had no idea the city was holding money for them.
In March, Wayne Braddy and Karl Willis were released from prison after 23 years. The men’s claims of innocence were investigated in the WTOL 11 series, "11 Investigates: Guilty Without Proof." The report cast doubt on the state’s prosecution of the men, leading to their release.
11 Investigates was honored in May by the Associated Press and National Headliner Awards for investigations. On Tuesday, the team won an Edward R. Murrow Award for its series on sexual assault complaints at Cedar Point. It is the fourth consecutive year that 11 Investigates has received a regional Murrow for Region 7, which includes stations in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.
Our team believes in using all of our platforms to give a voice to the voiceless. But every fight for change begins with someone having the courage to provide the tip to get the investigation started. If you need help or know of wrongdoing, reach out to us on Wednesday.
If you miss our phone bank, email our 11 Investigates team at 11investigates@wtol.com.
