Crime & Safety

Man Accused of Causing Two Crashes, Threatening a Police Officer With a Wrench

Man is suspected of crashing into a car, his workplace, threatening an officer with a wrench and may have also wrecked a gas station Monday morning

Let's call it a case of the Mondays.

An Eastlake man is accused of running a red light, separately crashing into both a car and his workplace, fleeing both crashes and threatening a police officer with a wrench Monday morning, Mentor Police Lt. Tom Powers said.

He may also have trashed a gas station in Willoughby by smashing eight full coffee pots on the floor and ripping the top off of an ATM there.

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At about 6:45 a.m., Mentor Police received a call about someone driving a black Mercury Villager erratically on Mentor Avenue.

The minivan had crashed into another car and driven away, Powers said. Fortunately, no one else in the other car was seriously hurt.

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The crash knocked the license plate off of the minivan so police were able to identify it as belonging to 48-year-old Robert Smalley.

Police followed Smalley to Hojo Industries on Tyler Boulevard where he worked. When they arrived, a coworker said Smalley had been there and crashed his car into a picnic bench that, in turn, smacked into the building and broke a window, Powers said.

Smalley had then left for another of Hojo's workplaces on Tyler.

When police found Smalley there, he "aggressively approached" one of the patrolmen with a wrench in hand, Powers said. The officer stunned him with a Taser and arrested him.

Smalley was charged with assaulting an officer, two counts of fleeing a crash scene and for running a red light. He is scheduled to be arraigned this morning in .

Smalley may also face a vandalism charge in Willoughby if he's found to be the person who made a mess in the Speedway gas station at the intersection of Kirtland and Mentor Avenue.

Shortly before Mentor Police were called about the crash, a man with a similar description as Smalley drove his Mercury Villager to the gas station.

He said he wanted a cup of coffee and then proceeded to drop eight full pots of coffee on the floor and rip the top off the station's ATM, Willoughby Lt. Tom Trem said.

He then left.

Speedway employees had to close the store while they cleaned up the mess.

Powers said that Smalley was not thought to be on drugs or alcohol when he went on his morning tear.

The following arrest information was supplied by the Mentor and Willoughby Police Departments. It does not indicate a conviction. For questions about this story, email jason.lea@patch.com.


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