Shitstorm: Can Steve Raleigh Outrun the Storm of Scandal?

A dark cloud with damaging effects has moved overhead of a beloved local weatherman, Steve Raleigh. No, this front is not hocking hail or twisting up wind tunnels, but a flood of scrutiny not even FEMA can fix. Steve Raleigh, chief meteorologist for WCPO 9 News, has been off air for over a month since a viral video depicting the aftermath of an alleged violent assault cast a dark spotlight on the Raleigh family. While news of the incident at Montgomery Inn’s Boathouse location prompted the Raleigh patriarch to batten down the hatches on his public image, it’s the details of the incident’s investigation that have left the victims’ family members calling out publicly for justice.

In Cincinnati, connections and power can determine the way the wind blows. Steve Raleigh’s father-in-law is Simon “Si” Leis, Jr., a famous former Hamilton County law enforcement trifecta with experience and influence in Greater Cincinnati stretching over four decades. Leis, a Republican, served as Hamilton County prosecutor from 1971 to 1983, including as a special prosecutor in the Larry Flynt obscenity trial of 1977, resulting in the conviction of the Hustler magazine publisher. Sometimes called the “Moral Crusader of Cincinnati,” Leis went on to serve as a judge in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas from 1983 to 1987, then as Hamilton County Sheriff for 25 consecutive years.

His tough-on-crime approach was dissected after his tenure when Jim Neil took on the role in January 2013. An audit conducted by Neil’s office found Leis’ office was "hostile to change” and ineffective as a result. The audit’s authors, former Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher and civil rights attorney Scott Greenwood, defended their findings to the Cincinnati Enquirer at the time, saying Leis’ department was “shocking.”

"If you look at that agency and what it was, it was shocking," Greenwood told the Enquirer . "It was held together with smoke, mirrors and absolute secrecy."

Now, Leis shares connections with current Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers while Steve Raleigh is a local media icon – two red flags some in the community claim to see waving.

What happened?

It all started on June 22 when Carter Raleigh, Steve Raleigh’s 28-year-old son and the grandson of Leis, was driving his grandfather’s black Cadillac Escalade in the parking lot of the Montgomery Inn Boathouse on Riverside Drive. That’s when a police report says he hit the Morrow family’s Ford F-150 pickup truck and when the Morrows say chaos ensued .

According to a heavily-redacted incident report from the Cincinnati Police Department, 79-year-old Douglas Morrow was driving the Morrows’ truck that night. They had just picked up their son, 46-year-old Troy Morrow, from a shift at the restaurant. Troy Morrow was in the backseat with Allison Scales, 47, according to the report. Douglas Morrow’s wife, Lois Morrow, 76, was sitting in the passenger seat.

The CPD traffic crash report said that Carter Raleigh failed to yield to traffic outside of the restaurant. Carter Raleigh got out of Leis’ Escalade and began arguing with Douglas Morrow and his family, the Morrows allege. It wasn’t long before the Morrows say Steve Raleigh emerged from the direction of the restaurant, asking the Morrows not to call the police on his son.

Stacie Morrow-Stickrod, the Morrows' daughter, was not at the scene of the incident but has been vocal online on behalf of her parents ever since. She said in a July 10 Facebook post that her father was insistent on calling the police, claiming her parents have “gotten burned by this in the past.” Morrow-Stickrod also said her father “suspected [the suspects] had been drinking (because of the smell of alcohol).” The police report also said “the offender” was suspected of using drugs or alcohol, but Morrow-Stickrod complains in a later Facebook post that “no sobriety test was done” at the scene.

Steve Raleigh allegedly became agitated when he learned the Morrows had called the police, the Morrow family’s attorney, Konrad Kircher of Maineville-based Kircher Law, told CityBeat.

“Steve Raleigh should have allowed the police to come and take a report,” he said. “He insisted that the police not be called. He got agitated when he learned police were coming and then that incited [his son] to resort to violence.”

The police report does not provide specific details about the alleged assault, and the names of suspects are redacted from the report. However, CPD officer Shawn Newman summarized witness testimonies in the report, saying, “suspect approached victim #1 striking him with a closed fist in the head knocking him to the ground causing listed injuries. Victim #2 and victim #3, while attempting to aid victim #1, was struck and shoved down to the ground by the suspect causing listed injuries.”

After that, details become less clear due to a lack of security footage. Cameras at the Montgomery Inn’s Boathouse location weren’t working, but it’s not their fault – CPD is in charge of their operation, according to a Montgomery Inn manager and Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police President Ken Kober. But in Morrow-Stickrod’s July 10 Facebook post, she included a now-viral video that captures the aftermath of the assault.

The over-three-minute video launched this story into the national spotlight, depicting a chaotic scene involving Steve Raleigh. The shaky, often blurry video shows an argument between several individuals, resulting in frantic camera shots of men pushing each other. As the person filming regains balance, Morrow-Stickrod’s mother and father are both seen lying on the pavement, with blood visible next to her mother’s head.

In the video, Kevin Youkilis, a former UC and Red Sox baseball player, is seen arguing with Steve Raleigh. He yells, “Are you serious? He hit a fucking woman!”

Youkilis addressed the viral video in a July 13 Facebook post, saying he was eating dinner with an agent when he saw the incident break out. He was in Cincinnati to broadcast the Red Sox game against the Reds.

“After having dinner with my agent at the Montgomery Inn boathouse, there were a group of people jawing at each other in the parking lot,” Youkilis writes. “Unfortunately, I was a little too late and saw a horrible chain of events unfold. My intentions after what I witnessed was to help the two individuals on the ground and to protect anyone else from being harmed. [...] To the individuals that were hurt, praying you have a speedy recovery.”

The police report states that Lois Morrow was struggling to get off the pavement and began vomiting as she bled from the back of her head, but her family has shared more gruesome details about her injuries.

In her July 10 post, Morrow-Stickrod said her 76-year-old mother was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion, fractured skull, brain bleeding, a contusion on the back of her head that required staples, a detached eye lens and cuts and bruises to her arms and legs. Her father was also knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion, the post said.

Additionally, Morrow-Stickrod shared on July 23 that Lois Morrow was told on July 19 that she was showing signs of dementia as a result of the alleged attack. Studies have shown that head injuries can increase the risk of dementia or worsen existing dementia.

“We are so heartbroken and terrified,” Morrow-Stickrod wrote in the post.

As of press time, no arrests have been made in relation to the incident.

The Morrow family is waiting to speak to media further until the investigation is complete, according to Kircher.

Social media zeros in on Steve Raleigh

The first person to bring the incident to social media was Troy Morrow, just three days after the alleged assault.

“If anyone was at Montgomery Inn-The Boathouse on Saturday night 6/22 and saw what happened in the parking lot and may possibly have video from it PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP,” Troy Morrow said on Facebook on June 25. “I can use all the help from the public I can get.”

But it wasn’t until Morrow-Stickrod posted on July 10 that the public really got wind of the story, more than two weeks after the incident. Raleigh’s quintessential broadcast voice, dark combed-back hair and comic book-like chin are familiar to most people in the Greater Cincinnati area. That’s why it didn’t take long for commenters on Facebook, Reddit and X (formerly known as Twitter) to allege that Raleigh appeared in Morrow-Stickrod’s viral video, which has amassed more than 631,000 views as of press time.

Online comments quickly turned from a sprinkle to a flood, with most wondering how no one was arrested in the process of the initial investigation.

“Anyone else and charges would have been filed immediately, You or I would likely have spent a night in jail and had to post bond,” one Reddit user said in a comment about the incident. “It’s been several weeks and the corrupt police are slow walking this hoping it goes away.”

“I still don't understand how his son wasn't arrested that night. At the least he should have had a DUI and arrested for assault. Any other person in Cincinnati acting like that would have been. It's an obvious cover up. I hope that family owns the Raleigh's when they are finished with them,” another commenter said on Reddit.

“Just a quick reminder. In virtually every case where a drunk person pushes or hits or gets in a fight with someone else and injures them, that drunk person is [thrown] in jail immediately pending charges. It’s been weeks now and there are still no charges in this case. It’s time to start firing corrupt cops,” one Reddit user said.

“How on earth has there not been any arrest made?!?! This is chilling to watch,” one Facebook user commented on Morrow-Stickrod’s post.

The “chilling” front of attention creeping in, Steve Raleigh’s social media pages quickly disappeared. Hours later, he was notably absent from WCPO’s 5 p.m. newscast. He hasn't returned to air since. Instead, other weathercasters at the station appear to be rotating through Steve Raleigh’s usual prime-time spot in his absence.

“These were locally famous people and, in my opinion, believe they are above the law,” Morrow-Stickrod wrote in her initial post on July 10. “I feel like there has been so much time that has past [sic] with no arrest made and continuing to watch my mom struggle is hard to swallow.”

Who is Steve Raleigh?

Steve Raleigh is a local celebrity, and a staple to many Cincinnatians’ daily routines. He has appeared on WCPO for almost 20 years.

He’s been a meteorologist for around 40 years, working in other major cities like San Francisco, Charlotte and Memphis. He started at WCPO in 2005.

The meteorologist is not only well known, but also decorated. According to his WCPO biography, he earned an Emmy Award for Best News Talent while he covered tornadoes in Oklahoma.

Before WCPO 9, Raleigh spent nearly 20 years at KRON-TV in San Francisco as its chief meteorologist, where he worked on the country's first instant weather information access, the California Weather Network.

Steve Raleigh is also the chief operating officer of Madi’s House, a charity dedicated to his daughter, Madi Raleigh, who died by suicide in 2019. Madi’s House provides a safe space for young adults struggling with mental illness or addiction, providing “peaceful support and alternative activities to young adults healing from mental illness,” according to the nonprofit's website.

Now, Steve Raleigh’s career and reputation are on the line after a night at Montgomery Inn took a violent turn.

Once the video of the incident went viral, WCPO released a statement implying there was more to the story and that Steve Raleigh hadn’t been charged with a crime.

“[The incident] is still under investigation, and at this time no charges have been filed against anyone,” said Jeff Brogan, WCPO vice president and general manager in a July 12 statement. “His account is consistent with the police report, which does not name him, and with what we have reviewed on video. The video does not show the incident from start to finish."

With his once-popular social media accounts deleted and his familiar presence off the air, Raleigh has gone silent amid the investigation.

A delayed investigation with no arrests

Since Morrow-Stickrod posted the video of the incident on Facebook, more than six weeks have passed with no charges against any members of the Raleigh family.

Kircher and the Morrow family hosted an emotional press conference on July 15, where they shared their story with the media. There, Kircher told the public that the family wouldn’t be pursuing a lawsuit – or at least not until CPD finished their investigation. But now, the Morrow family still has no answers.

One of the biggest delays in the investigation stems from a camera malfunction. Kober told CityBeat that this missing camera footage is crucial to the investigation.

“It becomes incredibly difficult to prosecute any kind of case when it's not on video in Hamilton County,” Kober said. “In this case, where there is yet to be discovered any solid video that shows exactly what occurred, it makes it difficult for the police to investigate.”

Kober also acknowledged that technology is not foolproof, and it’s hard for CPD to constantly maintain and update cameras as technology evolves.

“Unfortunately, with technology, it does fail, and unfortunately this has become a problem all throughout downtown that they're constantly working on,” Kober said. “Technology is always progressing. So all of a sudden, before you know it, cameras are outdated.”

But the cameras aren’t the only thing delaying police in this investigation. Kober also said that while he completely supports each family hiring attorneys, interviews become increasingly difficult to schedule in situations where both parties have to coordinate with lawyers.

Similarly, CPD’s Lt. Jonathan Cunningham has told CityBeat on several occasions that the investigation remains ongoing, partially due to the amount of interviews that CPD is conducting.

“The police get to the point where we're now working on attorney schedules, and if they're not available to do an interview, they're certainly not going to allow their client to, and I completely understand and certainly respect that,” Kober said.

Kober encouraged patience with the investigation.

“In a case like this, while I feel for the victims, if the police don't do a complete and thorough investigation and have enough evidence to sign criminal charges, they're not doing that victim any justice,” Kober said.

However, Morrow-Stickrod took to social media again on July 23 to express her frustration with the speed of the investigation. Morrow-Stickrod said in the post that the family was told the week of July 15 that the investigation would take only one more week, which proved to be untrue.

“Here we are and still nothing has been done, nobody has been charged, no phone calls saying what the delay is, NOTHING!” she wrote in the post.

Morrow-Stickrod also said she disagrees with how Kircher is handling the situation. Kircher told the Cincinnati Enquirer on July 17 that the family was “satisfied with the progress of the police investigation,” which Morrow-Stickrod disagreed with in her post.

“[Kircher] said we are happy with the way the investigation is being handled, I DO NOT AGREE WITH THAT STATEMENT,” Morrow-Stickrod said in her post.

Former state representative and Democratic Hamilton County prosecutor candidate Connie Pillich also became frustrated with the investigation.

Pillich criticized the inaction of her rival in the election for prosecutor this fall, current Republican Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers. Pillich released a statement questioning how the investigation was being handled on July 17, calling for Powers to speak out about the incident.

“Lois and Doug Morrow were violently assaulted in broad daylight, and Prosecutor Melissa Powers has failed to bring charges against their assailant for nearly a month and counting,” Pillich said in her statement. “Powers should have already done the right thing, and now it’s time to find out why she didn’t.”

Pillich sat down with CityBeat to talk about her understanding of the case and the investigation. To her, the delay in the investigation seems unusual.

“I can't tell you if an arrest should have been made right away, because I wasn't there and didn't conduct the investigation. But as someone who's been in the criminal courtroom representing clients for years, I’m surprised [it’s taking] so long,” Pillich said.

Pillich, Morrow-Stickrod and much of the greater public on social media are feeling the presence of potential impropriety in this case, which may be delaying its conclusion.

‘An appearance of impropriety’

Now, weeks after the incident, a special prosecutor has been assigned to the case after Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers stepped back from the investigation.

According to court documents, the special prosecutor was appointed because "a conflict exists in this matter that makes it inappropriate for [Powers] to proceed."

According to a July 31 announcement from Powers' office, Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve has been appointed to investigate the incident.

"It is important that the public have confidence in equal application of the law," Powers said in her statement. "No duty is more important for a Prosecutor. With this appointment, the public can be assured that justice in this matter will be administrated fairly and impartially."

Pillich told CityBeat that while she trusts the police to investigate thoroughly, Powers’ previous silence on the case had an “appearance of impropriety.”

“In law, in my opinion, we should avoid [appearing improper],” Pillich said. “I think the rules of our profession teach us to avoid that, judges try to avoid that, lawyers should try to avoid that, no matter who they're representing in the case.”

According to reporting from WCPO, the prosecutor's office said that the conflict of interest had to do with Leis. But Powers’ connections to this case run deeper than just an endorsement from Leis.

Leis donated a total of $800 in three separate contributions to Powers’ campaign over the past year, according to campaign finance reports.

Merlyn Shiverdecker of Carr & Shiverdecker, who is representing the Raleigh family, has also supported Powers’ campaign financially over the past two years.

Shiverdecker contributed a total of $5,000 in two separate $2,500 donations to her campaign committee, Powers for Prosecutor, on April 10, 2023, and June 14, 2023, according to Powers’ 2023 semiannual campaign finance reports.

Additionally, Shiverdecker appears on a list of contributors on Powers’ host committee for a reception in support of Powers on June 4, 2024. Shiverdecker is listed on the document as an “Advocate,” a term indicating that he donated $1,000 to Powers’ committee.

However, Powers isn’t the only prosecutor Shiverdecker has supported financially. According to a 2019 annual campaign finance report, the Raleigh family’s lawyer also donated $250 to Tekulve’s campaign for Clermont County prosecutor back in 2019.

Tekulve is also connected to Powers. On April 10, just four months ago, Tekulve’s campaign committee donated $500 to Powers’ campaign committee, according to Tekulve’s 2024 post-primary campaign finance report.

Shiverdecker did not respond to CityBeat 's request for comment, but Kircher told CityBeat that Powers' stepping down is an "appropriate move."

“We didn't request [that Powers step down], but, I can understand why the prosecutor of Hamilton County would want to avoid an appearance of impropriety. So, you know, we welcome the decision,” Kircher said.

CityBeat reached out to Powers’ office for comment on her decision to step back from the case and received the following statement:

“Unfortunately, due to the fact that a special prosecutor has been appointed, we will not have further comment on the matter and will be deferring all questions to the special prosecutor. This is to protect the integrity and independence of the special prosecutor’s investigation.”

Pillich previously commented on Powers’ inaction in the case.

“When [Powers] ignores this broadly shared story on social media, I think her silence really speaks volumes. She should have talked about it quickly and acknowledged that there was an investigation going on,” Pillich said in an interview with CityBeat on July 24.

Pillich told CityBea t in a statement that the time it took for Powers to recognize the conflict of interest “raises serious concerns.”

“Why did it take so long to recognize this conflict of interest? Was the endorsement by this prominent figure not considered a conflict five weeks ago?” Pillich said in her statement. “This delayed response undermines public trust and raises questions about the integrity of the office.”

The aftermath for the Morrows

For the Morrows, the attack has completely turned their lives upside down, Morrow-Stickrod said.

According to Morrow-Stickrod’s initial Facebook post and the traffic accident report, both of her parents were treated at UC Medical Center after the incident.

Beyond her physical injuries, Kircher told CityBeat that Lois Morrow's injuries are also psychological.

“She doesn’t want to leave the house; she’s frightened. Has a lot of nightmares and fears,” he said.

Morrow-Stickrod started a GoFundMe to support her parents’ medical and family needs on July 13, where she provided more details about the Morrows’ conditions and their living situation. As of press time, the GoFundMe has raised $3,622.

Morrow-Stickrod said Lois Morrow is now also suffering vertigo, migraines, nausea and fear.

“She is very unsteady on her feet and afraid someone is watching her and going to attack her again,” Morrow-Stickrod said in the description.

Lois and Douglas Morrow have been married for over 50 years, according to the GoFundMe description. They are also raising their three great-granddaughters.

Morrow-Stickrod said that 79-year-old Douglas Morrow has been working to support the family, but Lois Morrow’s condition has required him to stay home with her. The elderly couple does not receive child support to help them raise their great-grandchildren.

“They didn't cause any of this and it's so unfair that they are put in this position,” Morrow-Stickrod wrote. “This never should have happened to such sweet hard working people.”

What’s next?

Now that a special prosecutor has been appointed to take on the investigation, it’s unclear how much longer it will take.

The Clermont County Prosecutor’s Office told CityBeat they were unable to comment on the timeline of the investigation after the appointment of Tekulve because the investigation is ongoing.

The Morrow family will have to continue to wait for justice, and there’s no telling what’s in the forecast for Steve Raleigh.

This story is featured in CityBeat's Aug. 21 print edition.