MANSFIELD — An abduction in Mansfield ended with a fatal crash on Home Road and the destruction of approximately a half-dozen vehicles at Graham Automall just before Wednesday at 3 a.m.
Ontario police received a call from 909 Landings Court, located in an apartment complex near the intersection of Home Road and Walker Lake Road, about a disturbance between two males.
Ontario Police Chief Tommy Hill said a witness told the department she and Donald Cheatam, 42, were involved in an altercation in Mansfield and he forced her into her vehicle and made her drive to Landings Court.
Once there, she got out of the vehicle, a white Hyundai. Her fiancé and Cheatam got into an argument, Hill said. Cheatam apparently drove off from Landings Court in the Hyundai. That’s when the witness called Ontario police, claiming unauthorized use of her vehicle.
An Ontario officer saw the Hyundai and registered it gaining speed above 70 miles per hour as it passed.
“The officer didn’t know who he was,” Hill said. “But I think he knew he was in trouble. By the time officers got to Home Road, he had crashed.”
The vehicle lost control and struck several parked vehicles at Graham Automall and a utility pole south of West Fourth Street after running a red light.
The Hyundai flipped upside down and Cheatam was ejected, soon after the vehicle caught fire, Hill said.
Ontario police extinguished the fire and provided care for the victim until EMS arrived, Hill said.
Because the crash took place in Mansfield, the investigation is being handled by Mansfield police and the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Mansfield police Capt. Shari Robertson said the investigation is ongoing.
“It’s still in preliminary stages, and there’s not much I can tell you,” Robertson Wednesday morning.
North Home Road between West Fourth Street and Nussbaum Parkway remained closed late Wednesday morning.
Ohio Edison employees at the scene were battling the cold as they worked to replace a utility pole destroyed in the crash. They said power remained out at several businesses in the area.
