Dover police say drunk driver crashed into their cruiser
DOVER (WJER) (May 2, 2023) – Police say one of their cruisers was struck by a drunk driver who ran a stop sign early Sunday morning.
Dover Police Chief Paul Bantum says it happened near downtown just before 2:45 a.m. He says the officer was traveling westbound on Front Street when the other vehicle ran a stop sign on Cherry Alley and T-boned the driver side of the cruiser.
He says the officer is OK. He was checked out at the hospital and had a sore left shoulder.
The cruiser was not in good shape. Bantum says it’s at the body shop getting worked on.
Bantum did not provide many details about the arrest because it is a pending case.
Whatever happened led to a slew of charges against the individual – a 24-year-old New Philadelphia man.
The misdemeanor violations are for OVI, running a stop sign, aggravated menacing, resisting arrest, obstructing official business, and unlawfully having a gun in the car. Police are pursuing a felony charge for the firearms violation.
The defendant spent Sunday in jail and pleaded not guilty to the charges Monday morning at an arraignment in New Philadelphia Municipal Court. He was released on his own recognizance. A hearing is scheduled for May 26th.
This is the latest in a string of misfortunes involving Dover Police cruisers.
One is having engine problems, and another was totaled when a tree fell on it.
The cruiser involved in Sunday’s crash was also involved in a recent parking lot fender-bender, and a different cruiser was T-boned on Wooster Avenue at Slingluff last summer. The officer was cited in that crash.