( CNN ) -- Ohio Gov . Ted Strickland on Tuesday gave a death-row inmate a one-week reprieve after authorities tried for hours to find a vein to administer his lethal injection . Romell Broom was convicted of raping and killing a 14-year-old girl in Cleveland , Ohio . `` Difficulties in administering the execution protocol necessitate a temporary reprieve , '' said Strickland 's Warrant of Reprieve , filed in court Tuesday afternoon in the case of inmate Romell Broom . Broom 's defense attorney , Tim Sweeney , wrote Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer on Tuesday that , `` I am advised by my co-counsel , Adele Shank , who is at the prison in Lucasville , that the execution team has been attempting since approximately 1 p.m. this afternoon to obtain IV access to a site in Mr. Broom 's body in order for the lethal injections to be administered , but without any success . `` It appears ... that these efforts have been going on now for almost two hours , and that the execution team members have evidently now taken a 'break , ' `` Sweeney wrote . Broom 's execution was initially scheduled for 10 a.m . ET , but was delayed for legal reasons and rescheduled for Tuesday afternoon , Sweeney told CNN . `` When such allegedly skilled professionals have taken this much time without successfully achieving IV access , there comes a point of diminishing returns , and a point when further attempts are cruel and counterproductive , '' Sweeney wrote to Moyer . `` I believe we have reached that point here . '' Sweeney had earlier said he was in the process of filing an appeal to halt the execution for Tuesday , claiming it was not being carried out according to the state constitution . Calls by CNN to state officials were not immediately returned . Strickland 's document directs the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to carry out Broom 's execution on September 22 , `` unless further reprieve or clemency is granted . '' Broom , 52 , was convicted of murdering a 14-year-old girl in Cleveland in 1984 , according to a death clemency report . In May 2006 , Ohio officials took nearly 90 minutes to carry out the execution of Joseph Clark because of problems finding a vein . Once they did find one , it collapsed , according to the Toledo Blade . Clark repeatedly shook his head , according to the newspaper , and told officials , `` It do n't work . '' A year later , Ohio inmate Christopher Newton 's execution reportedly took two hours after a prison team had trouble finding a vein . CNN 's Chuck Johnston contributed to this report .
Ohio Sen . Ted Strickland gave reprieve to Robert Broom , 52 . Authorities tried for hours to find a vein to administer lethal injection . Brown 's execution was initially scheduled for 3 pm . ET , delayed for legal reasons .