Cleveland attorney suspended from practicing law by Ohio Supreme Court

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The Ohio Supreme Court this week announced the 49-year-old Cleveland attorney accused of trying to bring methamphetamine into the Cuyahoga County Jail and having child porn material on his phone has been suspended from practicing law.

Eric Norton previously received a $5,000 bond after pleading not guilty to charges.

RELATED: Cleveland attorney indicted on drug, child exploitation charges

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said Norton had a scheduled meeting with an inmate on Dec. 15, 2022.

As he was preparing to go through the screening process, he was asked to remove any items he had on him.

According to O’Malley, Norton began placing items onto a tray and then abruptly left his belongings and walked off with a plastic bag containing 5.12 grams of methamphetamine.

Norton allegedly entered the men’s restroom in the lobby of the Cuyahoga County Justice Center, discarded the bag and exited the restroom.

A Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s deputy noticed the unusual behavior, walked into the restroom and found the bag of drugs, said O’Malley.

Deputies then detained Norton.

As part of the drug investigation, a search warrant for Norton’s phone was issued and child exploitation materials were found, said O’Malley.

“I would like to thank the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department for their vigilance in this matter which prevented methamphetamine from entering the county jail,” said O’Malley. “I would also like to thank our Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) Force and the Cleveland Office of the FBI and for their work in this matter.”

Norton was indicted on the following charges:

• One count of illegal use of minor In nudity-oriented material or performance

• One count of drug possession

• One count of illegal conveyance Into detention facility

• One count of tampering with evidence

• One count of possessing criminal tools