Dover resident charged after allegedly assaulting teen who ding-dong ditched him
DOVER (WJER) (October 31, 2022) – A ding-dong ditch prank gone wrong left a 13-year-old with bruises and red marks on his back and neck and a 61-year-old Aspen Drive man charged with misdemeanor assault and unlawful restraint.
According to Dover Police reports, a group of kids rang the doorbell and ran at the Aspen Drive home just before 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22. The report says the resident ran down the kids and caught one of them.
He grabbed the boy, put his arm behind his back, and shoved him against a neighbor’s garage door, according to the report. He then allegedly forcefully escorted the boy into his house to retrieve a cell phone then back outside.
He allegedly shoved the boy down on the concrete and placed his foot on his lower back and neck area.
Police say the man called police and warned them if they didn’t respond fast he would “take matters into his own hands.”
Friends alerted the boys’ parents, who went to the Aspen Drive home.
Police arrived first and noted the boy wasn’t there anymore. They worked to calm the situation.
According to the report, the man said he felt “uncontrollable rage” after the ding-dong ditch prank.
Police told him the juveniles were wrong, but his response was “absolutely over the top and likely unlawful.”
The report says police interviewed several witnesses, including neighbors, before consulting with the city prosecutor.
The city prosecutor agreed to file misdemeanor assault and unlawful restraint charges. An arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 3 in New Philadelphia Municipal Court.