$500K bond set for driver accused of killing Cleveland firefighter

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The driver accused of hitting and killing Cleveland Firefighter Johnny Tetrick pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Wednesday morning.

Leander Bissell, 40, of Cleveland, was indicted on the charges of murder, felonious assault, involuntary manslaughter, failure to stop after an accident, failure to comply and aggravated vehicular homicide.

One of Firefighter Tetrick’s three daughters was in court and asked the judge to increase the bond that had been set at $500,000.

“I would like to ask the court for a million dollar bond on Mr. Bissell”s prior record, the fact that he fled the scene, he was inebriated and he killed my father,” she said.

The prosecutor urged Judge Ashley Kilbane to consider that Issue 1, just passed in Ohio, requires the courts to consider public safety when setting bail.

The judge, who had already heard Bissell’s public defender request a lower bail, because he could not raise the $500,000 bond, left bail at half a million.

According to the Bratenahl police report, Bissell was drunk when he hit Cleveland Firefighter Tetrick, 51, on Nov. 19.

The accident happened around 8:15 p.m. on I-90 East near Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Firefighter Tetrick was assisting with a rollover crash, when he was struck. He died from his injures at University Hospitals just before 9 p.m.