Man accused of being in two hit-skip crashes

Police report an 18-year-old crashed into a building, then fled the scene before getting into another hit-skip wreck.

Police in Madison Township report an 18-year-old Ashtabula County man on June 5 crashed into a building, then fled the scene before getting into another hit-skip wreck in Ashtabula County.

The initial crash, at Easy Auto & Truck Sales, 7344 North Ridge Road, happened about 7 p.m. when Hartsgrove Township resident Joseph Thomas is accused of hitting the building at the business with the pickup truck he was driving. He then allegedly left the scene with haste, according to Madison Township police.

The employee inside the business reported the incident and provided authorities with descriptions of the truck and its driver. The employee was not injured, officials report.

Shortly following that incident, the Ohio Highway Patrol reported it was investigating another hitskip wreck, possibly involving the same vehicle and driver.

A highway patrol dispatcher on June 6 confirmed troopers worked a 7:22 p.m. hit-and-run wreck involving a mailbox near the Interstate 90 and state Route 534 on June 5. Madison Township police report it also involved Thomas.

During their investigation, both agencies determined Thomas was under the influence of an inhalant, specifically by huffing from “a cannedair cleaning product containing the chemical difluoroethane, shortly before both crashes,” the Madison Township police statement reads.

When asked whether there’s been a resurgence in the abuse of this type of inhalant, Madison Township Police Chief Matthew Byers said it doesn’t seem to be any more pervasive than in recent years, but that it “hasn’t gone away,” either.

“Lately, it’s been overshadowed by the opioid crisis,” he said in a June 6 phone interview. “But it isn’t any less of a problem, or any less dangerous.”

Narconon.org identifies some symptoms of inhalant use as follows: “A person who has been abusing inhalants will have a drunken appearance, his speech will be slurred and he will be disoriented. He may get nauseated and will not be interested in eating. Pupils will be widely dilated. A person high on inhalants is likely to suffer exhaustion and an inability to focus. Less obvious signs of inhalant abuse include damage to blood, kidneys, liver, heart and bone marrow. One’s judgment is impaired and inhibitions are lowered after heavy use. This may lead a person to engage in irresponsible or dangerous activity.”

In Thomas’ case, his alleged inhalant use while driving led to numerous misdemeanor offenses, including abusing harmful intoxicants, operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs and leaving the scene of an accident, according to the police statement.

Thomas faces additional misdemeanor offenses including driving without a license and failure to control, according to Madison Township police, who report he was booked into Lake County Jail.

Court records show his bond was set at $5,000/10 percent cash/surety, conditional upon him not driving a motor vehicle, not ingesting any harmful intoxicants, not using alcohol or drugs, and being subject to random chemical testing. He’s scheduled for a pretrial hearing June 12.