A Lorain County jury on April 16, 2026, found Elyria resident Courtney Price not guilty of fraud and grand theft in a case that had been tangled up with a viral police raid from two years earlier. Prosecutors had claimed Price siphoned off donations raised for her infant son's medical care and spent the money on personal items. The acquittal ends the county's criminal case against her but leaves civil claims and lingering questions about how the 2024 police operation unfolded.
What happened during the 2024 raid
On Jan. 10, 2024, members of the Elyria Police Department's Special Response Team forced their way into a home on the 300 block of Parmley Avenue, using diversionary devices and flash-bang tools while a 17-month-old child was inside, according to The Associated Press. City officials later released video that shows officers announcing themselves, using a battering ram to break the front door and handcuffing a woman inside. Price has said her son, Waylon May, was hurt in the chaos and later treated for respiratory problems.
Trial and acquittal
The criminal case went to trial this week in Lorain County Court of Common Pleas before Judge Chris Cook. A jury returned not-guilty verdicts on Thursday, April 16, 2026, on counts of fraud and grand theft, as reported by WOIO. Prosecutors said the charges grew out of allegations that money raised on a GoFundMe page for Waylon’s care was diverted to personal spending. Price's defense team pushed back on that description of how the funds were used. Separate from the criminal case, Price has pursued civil claims over the raid, including a federal lawsuit filed last year against the Lorain County sheriff’s office, according to Cleveland 19 News.
Legal fallout and context
Ohio law defines theft and grand theft by the value of the property and other factors, and grand theft is typically charged as a fourth-degree felony depending on the alleged loss. A not-guilty verdict in criminal court does not automatically shut the door on separate civil lawsuits. The Double Jeopardy Clause limits repeated criminal prosecutions, but it generally does not stop civil actions that seek money damages or other non-criminal remedies, legal resources explain. Ohio Revised Code §2913.02 and Cornell Law School outline those distinctions.
Family, city and next steps
Price and her relatives say the raid and its aftermath left them shaken and demanding accountability, while city officials pledged to scrutinize how the search warrant had been obtained. Police have said the devices used during the raid do not release continuous chemical agents and initially maintained that the search targeted the correct address. Elyria's mayor released body-camera footage and asked the Lorain County sheriff to investigate, according to reporting at the time. The criminal acquittal sharply limits the state's remaining options, but the civil lawsuit and ongoing administrative reviews suggest this case is not fading from the local spotlight anytime soon.
