Mark Puente, Author at The Land

Mark Puente

Mark Puente is a staff writer leading investigative reporting efforts for The Marshall Project – Cleveland. Puente, a former truck driver, has worked for The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, The Baltimore Sun, the Tampa Bay Times and the Los Angeles Times. Puente is a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Behind the Celebrezze indictment

By Mark Puente & The Marshall Project ● Government ● January 15, 2026

A reporter recounts how an FBI subpoena changed attitudes and fueled Celebrezze indictment

How a public record cost Cuyahoga County taxpayers $650,000

By The Marshall Project & Mark Puente ● Government ● December 10, 2025

A worker’s demotion after releasing court records to The Marshall Project – Cleveland led to a lawsuit alleging retaliation and witness intimidation.

Getting a single parking ticket in Lorain led hundreds to lose their driver’s licenses

By The Marshall Project & Mark Puente ● Civic Engagement ● November 25, 2025

A Marshall Project – Cleveland investigation has prompted city officials to stop issuing parking citations that, for years, led to license suspensions.

Uncounted: Ohio lawmakers propose bill to track pregnancy outcomes in jails and prisons

By Mark Puente & The Marshall Project ● Government ● October 29, 2025

A Marshall Project – Cleveland and News 5 investigation helped spark a bipartisan bill to track pregnancy outcomes in Ohio jails and prisons.

Cleveland Police hire firm to look for potential bias when officers encounter the public

By Mark Puente & The Marshall Project ● Public Safety ● October 24, 2025

The move follows a Marshall Project – Cleveland analysis that found police searched Black people more often than White people in stops in 2023.

‘A significant failure’: Experts cite mistakes in Cleveland hospital restraint death

By Doug Livingston, Brittany Hailer, Mark Puente & The Marshall Project ● Public Safety ● October 22, 2025

Tasha Grant told a deputy and hospital staff 23 times that she could not breathe. Instead of an evaluation, she got handcuffs and skepticism.

‘She had no legs. Why would they restrain her?’: A Cleveland woman died in custody

By Brittany Hailer, Doug Livingston, Mark Puente & The Marshall Project ● Government ● September 25, 2025

Officials said Tasha Grant’s heart stopped from the restraint. A special prosecutor is reviewing the actions of hospital workers and a deputy.

Controversial Cuyahoga County deputy unit tickets mostly Black drivers, records show

By Mark Puente, Doug Livingston, The Marshall Project, Tara Morgan & News 5 Cleveland ● Communities ● September 15, 2025

A review of Downtown Safety Patrol traffic stops shows deputies rarely issue tickets or make arrests.

Cuyahoga County prosecutor checking the credibility of Deputy Kasey Loudermilk after he was accused of lying

By Mark Puente & The Marshall Project ● Public Safety ● September 11, 2025

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office officials are questioning the credibility of Kasey Loudermilk, the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department deputy who has been involved in high-speed chases that killed two bystanders and the driver of a fleeing car.

Cuyahoga County deputy involved in fatal chases accused of ‘lying’ in hiring process

By Mark Puente & The Marshall Project ● Public Safety ● August 28, 2025

Deputy Kasey Loudermilk lied and kept details off his application about other police forces disqualifying him, according to his personnel file.

Mark Puente

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