Man claims he was hit, but no evidence

VW independent staff

Was he hit or wasn’t he?

Last Friday, dispatch notified Van Wert County Sheriff’s deputies of a person who had been hit by a car at the North Union Church on U.S. 127 in Union Township.

Deputies arrived at the scene shortly after 9 p.m. and spoke with the alleged victim and possible witnesses. Three of the witnesses said they were setting up a baby shower at the church. One of them had been had been in and out of the church and noticed a shadowy figure near the entrance, but thought it was just a mailbox and didn’t investigate it. 

The witnesses left the church and got into a vehicle when they noticed a man laying in the ditch near the entrance. One of them them spoke to him and he claimed he had been struck by a vehicle and requested a ride to Defiance. 

The witnesses said they didn’t hear a crash or any screaming and they noted the man didn’t want law enforcement involved, just a ride.  

The man told deputies he had been walking home to Defiance from Van Wert and explained that he’s a felon and was looking for a job in Van Wert, since he can only get certain jobs. He also said had a ride set up, but they canceled. The man said he left Van Wert around 6 p.m. and was walking home to Defiance when a dark colored vehicle with no lights on struck him. He thought it may have had a SRT badge, but had no other vehicle description.

He claimed he was northbound on U.S. 127 near Convoy Rd. when he got struck. He believed the vehicle was speeding and he claimed to have gone airborne, but didn’t have any visible injuries. In a report, a deputy checked his clothing and noted there were no visible tears or marking.

He said he then got up and limped to North Union Church (about 1.5 miles) before stopping and eventually being found. 

A deputy checked the intersection of Convoy Rd. and U.S. 127 and found no signs of a crash – no visible vehicle debris, blood stains, or loose articles.

Scott EMS arrived and loaded the man into an ambulance and explained they were taking him to OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital, but he requested to go to Paulding instead as it was closer to home. It’s unclear if he was actually transported anywhere for medical attention.

The man was asked if he was lying, to which he said he was not and had been hit. 
 
According to the deputy’s report, the evidence did not indicate a vehicle collision and the case was closed.