An Alger man and a McGuffey woman were taken into custody Thursday after deputies of the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office alerted area law enforcement of a stolen vehicle investigation.
Tobias Phillips, 47, and Jessica Staley, 41, were arrested on charges of theft of a motor vehicle and turned over to Hardin County deputies, officers of the Bellefontaine Police Department report.
An officer encountered Phillips walking through the parking lot of Walmart, 2281 S. Main St., with a gas can around 11:10 p.m. The Murphy USA station at 200 Gunntown Road was closed so the officer offered to transport Phillips to another gas station to get fuel.
They returned to the parking lot with fuel. The officer took Phillips to a black sport utility vehicle near the front of Walmart. The officer noted the SUV matched the vehicle in a recent Hardin County alert. He also reported a temporary tag confirmed the vehicle as stolen.
Phillips claimed he had permission to use the SUV but a Harding County deputy requested the arrest of both Phillips and passenger Staley.
The SUV was transported to the police department impound lot.
Woman reports rape
A 21-year-old Springfield woman met with officers around 11:20 p.m. in the area of Columbus Avenue and Troy Street to report she had been sexually assaulted within the last 30 minutes by a named male suspect.
She was transported to the police department offices for an interview and evidence collection before she was released to the care of a relative.
Man faces domestic violence charge
Brandon D. Lycans, 29, of 500 Gunntown Road, Apt. F1, was charged Thursday with domestic violence.
Officers report he allegedly shoved Heather L. Waskom, of the same address, into a wall and then pushed her to the floor around 2:25 a.m. He was reportedly angry after she took his vehicle keys from him to prevent him driving off drunk with their one-year-old son.
Waskom was able to seek refuge for herself, her son and her nine-year-old daughter in a neighbor’s apartment.
Officers observed injuries consistent with her complaint and arrested Lycans.
He was lodged in the Logan County Jail.
Driver cited in snowy weather crash
Troy A. Meyer, 19, of Bellefontaine, was cited for failure to control related to a non-injury crash during winter weather conditions Thursday morning.
Officers report he was operating a westbound 2008 Jeep Commander about 10:15 a.m. on Gunntown Road and attempted to make a northbound turn onto Brody Drive.
Officers said the vehicle was traveling too fast for the conditions and slid off the northwest side of the intersection, striking and knocking over a stop sign.
Damage was moderate to the jeep. The driver and his passenger were wearing their seat belts.