VIDEO: Josh Cribbs Loses Parking Ticket Battle in Cleveland Heights

Josh Cribbs appeared in Cleveland Heights Municipal Court today to he thought he didn't deserve.

Cribbs was June 30, but requested a continuance at the last minute. His hearing was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today, and he arrived about 15 minutes late. 

The Browns player pleaded his case — there was time left on the meter when he found the ticket on his white Mercedes parked in the lot on the corner of South Taylor Road and Washington Boulevard. 

And he brought evidence — a photo of many that he took showing the ticket and time still remaining on the meter, which he had posted to Twitter June 17, the day he got the ticket. 

He suggested it could be human error. Officer Scott Sedlock, who issued him the ticket, has been on the force a year, a "rookie" he said, and Sedlock mentioned during the hearing that he patrols hundreds of meters a day.

"A police officer has several meters a day, and I’m simply asking the question is there any possibility that he could have made a mistake,” Cribbs said.

He added that he didn’t think it was possible that the officer could remember that day as clearly as he described during the testimony, so he couldn’t be sure if he accidentally issued a ticket to the wrong car.

While Cribbs questioned the officer and gave his own account of the afternoon, Law Clerk Elizabeth Cullivan interrupted with several objections, including when he said that Cleveland Heights was notorious for its parking enforcement. 

Sedlock told his side of the story — he noticed the meter was expired because it was flashing zeroes, and he double-checked that he matched the right car to the right meter. He was doing his job, just like any other day. 

"There's nothing to dispute those facts," Cullivan said. 

Cullivan suggested that someone could have flipped the knob back to give Cribbs an extra, free 30 minutes, or added a quarter to his meter. There was no evidence that Sedlock wrongly gave him a ticket.

She also asked Cribbs several questions about his Twitter posts to determine the timing of the events. The ticket was issued at 3:26 p.m., Cribbs posted to Twitter at 4:06 and thought he saw the ticket around 4, which would give someone time to set the meter back. 

Cribbs wasn't sure when he arrived to the beauty salon — he was waiting for his wife — or what time her appointment was. He also didn't know the exact time he took the photo. 

“I already had a ticket on my meter. It doesn’t make sense that somebody would see a ticket and then set my meter back, especially while he was still patrolling the area,” Cribbs said after the hearing.

Magistrate Georgeann Schmidt said Sedlock’s testimony was consistent, and said she believed the meter was expired when the ticket was issued. Cribbs would have to pay the fine.

Though Cribbs was disappointed with the outcome, he thought it was important that he defended himself.

"In my line of work, being a football player and a role model, I'm teaching kids to stand up for themselves and stand up for what they believe in," he said. "A lot of people don't have the opportunity to stand up for themselves, especially in this situation."

Look for a video from the hearing soon.