“Man Arrested After Hit-and-Run Crash Injures Victim”

A man was arrested in Ross County, Ohio, after allegedly hitting another vehicle and fleeing the scene. Deputies found the victim with minor injuries and observed the man walking up a nearby driveway. The man ignored commands to stop and got into a white GMC Dump Truck, blocking the driveway. After refusing to stop multiple times, the man was arrested. He was found to have a strong odor of alcohol and failed a field sobriety test. The victim was transported to the hospital, and the man was taken to the Ross County Jail. Scioto Valley Guardian reported

A man was apprehended on the 1st of August in Ross County, Ohio, following allegations that he collided with another vehicle and subsequently fled the scene. The Ross County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a hit-and-run accident on Egypt Pike near McDonald Road. The caller informed the authorities that his vehicle had been struck by a truck, which then left the scene. Additionally, the caller suspected that the driver who fled may have been under the influence of alcohol.

Upon their arrival, law enforcement officers discovered the victim with minor injuries. Simultaneously, they noticed an individual, attired in a grey shirt and light-colored jeans, walking towards a nearby residence. Despite shining their flashlights at the man and instructing him to halt, he disregarded the commands. The man proceeded to enter a white GMC Dump Truck and initiated the engine. Despite the deputies and Union Township EMTs approaching the truck, the man refused to put the vehicle in park. Instead, he maneuvered the Dump Truck to obstruct the driveway by reversing and moving forward.

Despite repeated verbal orders from the deputies, the man refused to comply. Eventually, the man positioned the Dump Truck effectively across the driveway, engaged the parking gear, and exited the vehicle. It was later revealed that the individual in question was Todd Anthony McGowan. McGowan informed the deputies that he had been involved in a collision a few moments earlier. According to his account, he was driving his 2003 Blue Ford F-350 in a northerly direction on Egypt Pike, having just left a meeting. He claimed that while driving along Cattail Road, the two vehicles’ side mirrors made contact.

McGowan asserted that both vehicles remained within their respective lanes, but their mirrors collided nonetheless. Subsequently, he alleged that the other driver began following him to his residence. McGowan expressed confusion as to why the other party pursued him despite the apparent involvement in an accident. During the conversation with McGowan, the deputies detected a strong smell of alcohol emanating from him. McGowan stated that he had consumed two beers between approximately 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The deputies proceeded to administer a field sobriety test, which McGowan failed.

Based on the observations made by the deputies, McGowan was subsequently arrested. He denied sustaining any injuries and declined an evaluation by Union Township EMS. Meanwhile, the victim had minor cuts and swelling on his forehead and ear, along with a foreign object lodged in his eye. He was transported to the Adena Regional Medical Center by Union Township EMS. McGowan was then taken to the Ross County Jail.

.