Man checks out 100 books from Beachwood Library, then burns them in social media post

BEACHWOOD, Ohio -- A man who withdrew 100 books from the Beachwood Library may have used those books in a social media video to spread hate before burning them in a second video.

At 1:25 p.m. May 1, a representative of Cuyahoga County Public Library (CCPL) contacted police about the man and his suspicious behavior.

On April 2, the man went to the Beachwood Library branch, 25501 Shaker Blvd., and applied for a library card.

Once the card was approved, the man checked out 50 books on topics that included Jewish history, African-American history and LGBTQ education.

The following day, CCPL heard from the Princeton University Bridging Divides Initiative (PUBDI), a group that monitors and reports suspected hate crimes on social media.

PUBDI informed CCPL that the man had posted a photo to a social media site April 3 that showed a car trunk full of books, with a caption relating to “cleansing” the libraries.

The books in the car trunk photo appeared to match those the man had checked out. They had CCPL stickers on them.

On April 10, the man returned to the Beachwood Library and withdrew 50 more books on similar topics.

During this encounter, the man told a librarian that his son was part of the LGBTQ community and that he was trying to learn more about it.

The librarian found his behavior to be “odd and concerning,” but he did not make threats.

Shortly after, PUBDI again contacted CCPL, this time stating that the man had posted a video to social media in which he was burning all 100 of the library’s books.

The books again all appeared to match the theme and titles of the books the man had taken out.

The video shows one book with a CCPL sticker. It matched one of the specific books the man had checked out.

The 100 books were valued at approximately $1,700. As the books were not yet overdue, the library will wait until they are overdue, then send a bill to the man.

Police informed CCPL that, because a contract was entered when the books were borrowed, failure to return or pay for the books would become a civil matter turned over to the city prosecutor.

Should the man return to the Beachwood Library, he will be banned from the property.