EX-CLEVELAND MAYOR ACQUITTED OF STEALING A BAG OF DOG FOOD

Former Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes beat the latest shoplifting charge against him. Stokes, now a municipal judge, had been charged with stealing a $17.25 bag of dog food from a Shaker Heights pet shop in June but was acquitted Friday after a two-day trial. "We had a good, fair and hard-fought trial," said Stokes, who was mobbed by friends and family, including his brother, Rep. Louis Stokes, D-Ohio. Stokes explained the incident by saying that he took the bag because there were no cashiers available and that he intended to return and pay later. But as time passed, Stokes said he became concerned the people at the store would not believe his story. In January, Stokes admitted taking a $2.39 screwdriver from a Bedford store and paid $50 restitution to the store in exchange for a promise not to prosecute. He has said he forgot about the screwdriver in his pocket when he carried other items to the cashier.