Cleveland school chief calls off investigation of Twitter account that accused him of affair

Dr. Martin Ringstaff is Cleveland City Schools superintendent.
Dr. Martin Ringstaff is Cleveland City Schools superintendent.

Update:

Ringstaff confirms that explicit messages came from him

Cleveland City Schools Director Dr. Martin Ringstaff said Monday he was under attack by two Twitter accounts that "erroneously impersonate" the school official, according to a news release from Cleveland City Schools.

One of the accounts purports to show multiple screenshots of a Facebook conversation of a sexual nature between Ringstaff and another individual, who the account claims is not Ringstaff's wife.

Despite the language in the city's news release, an account seen by the Times Free Press does not attempt to impersonate Ringstaff. In the description, the accountholder wrote that "We're not Martin, but we'll show you the real Martin."

Late on Monday, Dr. Martin Ringstaff said, "I admit to having made previous mistakes in my personal life. My wife, Heather, and I have worked through these issues and are committed to our family and moving past my mistakes. With the support of the Cleveland City Schools Board of Education, I am dedicated to serving the students of Cleveland."

The school board also issued a response.

"The Cleveland City Schools Board of Education members are in unanimous agreement that we support and respect Dr. Martin Ringstaff and his family," according to the statement. "They are valuable to our community. Martin has done above and beyond what he said he would do for Cleveland City Schools, and now we see an opportunity as a board to be who we said we were."

The Cleveland Police Department was "investigating and working with Twitter to shut down the malicious accounts," according to a news release. However, Ringstaff did not immediately return officers' calls, and later called off the investigation "for his wife's sake," according to a police report.

In its policy, Twitter says that an account will not be removed if the profile clearly states it is not affiliated with or connected to any similarly-named individuals.

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