Police: Clerk escaped more serious injury in hammer attack
DOVER (December 12, 2024) – Police say the gas station clerk who was attacked with a hammer Monday evening fought back and escaped the store to avoid more serious injuries.
The suspect, 39-year-old John McNutt, is in the Tuscarawas County Jail on several charges, including attempted murder and felonious assault, for the hammer attack that left the Speedway clerk with head injuries. She was treated and released from the hospital the same day.
Police say the violent attempted robbery took place Monday around 6 p.m. at the Speedway on North Wooster Avenue in Dover. The clerk and her attacker were the only people in the store at the time.
Police, who have seen the brutal video from inside the store, say the clerk fought back and was able to flee the store. A customer outside assisted the victim and called police.
The suspect, unable to open the cash register without the clerk, left empty-handed through the doors on the opposite side of the store.
Police responding to the scene saw McNutt walking north past the Wooster Avenue Bridge near the Front Street intersection. When they got a description of the suspect, they returned and found McNutt not far from where they passed him earlier. They took him to jail on a 72-hour hold.
McNutt was arraigned on five charges Wednesday – attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, and two counts of aggravated robbery – and sent back to jail on a $500,000 bond.
Police say McNutt was living in an apartment in Dover about a mile away from the Speedway but was facing eviction. He is due in court for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday next week.