7 days ago
Vehicle that struck wanted man during Butler pursuit was driven by Mayor Wesley Dingus, police say
BUTLER, Ohio (WJW) — Authorities on Monday said that Butler Mayor Wesley Dingus was behind the wheel of a vehicle that struck a wanted man who was fleeing from police earlier this month.
Bellville Police Department Chief Jon Fletcher at a Monday morning news briefing said his agency was asked to conduct an impartial investigation.
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Dingus claimed the collision was an accident, Fletcher said.
Bellville police did not file charges, but turned over their findings to the Richland County prosecutor for possible charges, Fletcher said Monday.
'I'm not here to determine if he did it intentionally or unintentionally. We are here to provide a non-biased, fact-based report for the Richland County Prosecutor,' Fletcher said.
The FOX 8 I-Team previously reported the incident happened at about 7 p.m. on July 11.
The wanted man, Anthony Ward, was in a vehicle with his grandmother and another woman just moments before the incident took place. His grandmother told a 911 dispatcher that she pulled over because a red vehicle was following her. She said moments after she stopped her vehicle, a Butler village police officer came up to the car, and her grandson took off running.
Security video obtained by the I-Team shows Ward running and a red car following him and striking him.
'They ran over him twice and were trying to tell me that can be that way,' the grandmother told the dispatcher.
The grandmother asked for the Richland County Sheriff's Office to send a deputy to the scene, but the dispatcher said police were already on scene.
'Yes, but they are the ones that ran over him,' the woman told the dispatcher.
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The dispatch records also state that Ward was injured and may have a broken leg.
The I-Team has also asked for police body camera video and dash camera video, but that information has not yet been released.
Ward was released from prison in February after serving time for a sexual battery charge.
According to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction website, he was wanted by the Adult Parole Authority when officers tried to arrest him Friday.
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