Cleveland man arrested 50 times in 18 years found hiding in closet of AMVETS post

LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio (WJW) -- A man who authorities say has been arrested 50 times over the past 18 years was arrested again after police say he was found breaking in to a Carlisle Township AMVETS post.

According to the Lorain County Sheriff's Office, an officer spotted a suspicious car near the post in Carlisle Township at around 5:10 a.m. Friday. The officer had prior knowledge that the post had been broken into several times and initiated a business check.

Deputies located Tyler Ellis hiding in a closet. Deputies found Russell Dotson when he attempted to run out the door. Ellis and Dotson were taken to Lorain County Jail and were charged with breaking and entering and theft.

Ellis was booked into the Lorain County Jail 34 times from 2002 through 2020, according to police. He's had 19 cases involving the Lorain County Sheriff's Office from 2002 through 2020. Of those cases, 13 were related to breaking and entering, four to burglaries and one to criminal mischief. One was traffic-related.

All four burglary incidents involved the AMVETS Post #30.

He pleaded guilty to 15 criminal indictments for breaking and entering. In eight of the cases, he was sentenced to six months in prison. In one case, he was sentenced to eight months in prison, and in another, he received seven months in prison.

Dotson has a history of being mentioned as a suspect in two burglaries, but he was never convicted, according to the sheriff's office.