Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Westlake man tracks down woman from car crash, pours sugar in her gas tank, police say [vandalized her home, too]
Cleveland19 ^ | 04/11/2025 | Madeline Harden and Katharine Huntley

Posted on 04/13/2025 7:36:15 PM PDT by simpson96

WESTLAKE, Ohio (WOIO) - Westlake Police arrested a 64-year-old man Thursday after he allegedly vandalized a woman’s home with spray paint and poured sugar in her gas tank.

According to Westlake Police, at around 7 a.m., officers responded to a call from a homeowner reporting that someone had vandalized her property.

When officers arrived, they found the front of the home heavily spray-painted, including the windows and the ring doorbell camera with black spray paint.

Police said they believe the suspect attempted to pour sugar into her car’s gas tank as well.

“He wrote a lot of words, many of them misspelled on the house itself, plus took time to to spray paint the windows. If you watch the surveillance video, he even notices the cameras that are there and spray paints the cameras,” says Capt. Gerry Vogel of the Westlake Police Department.

After reviewing surveillance camera footage, police said the woman noted that the suspect looked familiar.

According to Westlake Police, the victim and the suspect were involved in a traffic crash in August 2023.

When officers followed up with 64-year-old Michael Dietz, who also lived in Westlake, police said he matched the person caught on camera and admitted that he caused the damage.

Here’s how that interaction went:

Officer: What did you do over there at her house?

Dietz: I {expletive} sprayed {expletive} on her house.

Officer: Why?

Dietz: Because she’s an {expletive}.

Officer: What else did you do?

Dietz: I tried putting sugar in the car.

Dietz was arrested and spent the night in the Westlake jail before going in front of a judge Friday, facing felony vandalism and misdemeanor aggravated menacing charges.

The aggravated menacing charge was tacked on when he made a chilling comment to officers in their cruiser after being arrested.

Dietz: Lucky I didn’t go over with a .357 and start shooting the place up.

Officer: You don’t say stuff like that.

Dietz: I know, but I didn’t do that. I just spray painted the outside.

Police say after more than a year and a half, Deitz tracked down the woman who was at fault in that accident back in 2023.

He made comments to officers about ongoing court actions and medical issues stemming from the accident, something he is still very angry about.

“You would expect maybe a kid or a young young adult would do something like this. Not thinking things through fully. But this was a 64-year-old man who should definitely know better,” says Vogel.

Police said additional charges may be presented to the county grand jury.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: gerryvogel; katharinehuntley; madelineharden; michaeldietz; ohio; westlake
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-37 last
To: ProtectOurFreedom

“ The aggravated menacing charge was tacked on when he made a chilling comment to officers in their cruiser after being arrested.”


21 posted on 04/13/2025 8:42:42 PM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: simpson96

Mr. Michael D. could be experiencing early Alzheimers, or maybe he’s always had a hard time controlling his temper and desire for revenge. Some folks are born with a very short fuse.


22 posted on 04/13/2025 8:56:49 PM PDT by lee martell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Right Brother

LOL!

Every other day anyway.


23 posted on 04/13/2025 9:01:23 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Putin should skip ahead to where he kills himself in the bunker.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: lone star annie
Try golf balls in the gas tank😋When the car gets to about 60 it stalls as the fuel pump gets clogged.

Golf balls won't fit down the filler neck of most vehicles. Ping pong balls might, if you crushed them down.

24 posted on 04/13/2025 9:14:36 PM PDT by IYAS9YAS (There are two kinds of people: Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Fai Mao

Sugar can still clog the fuel filter which can stwll the car, and it still requires getting it out of the gas tank.


25 posted on 04/13/2025 10:10:25 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

I knew that without looking, but thanks for confirming.


26 posted on 04/13/2025 11:42:36 PM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: catnipman
we laughed our asses off for a few days after that ... i STILL laugh about it!

Heck, I even chuckled a little.

27 posted on 04/14/2025 12:29:33 AM PDT by Jeff Chandler
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: ifinnegan

A. Don’t do stupid 💩.

B. Don’t talk to the cops after you’re arrested for doing A.

C. Go to anger management and say “my name is ? And I’m a dumb 💩.


28 posted on 04/14/2025 12:31:36 AM PDT by Equine1952
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: simpson96

Karo syrup is much more effective than sugar... just sayin’


29 posted on 04/14/2025 2:15:51 AM PDT by Clutch Martin ("The dawn cracks hard like a bull whip and it ain't taking no lip from the night before" Tom Waits)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

:: What ever happened to the good old banana up the tailpipe? ::

Fans Only...


30 posted on 04/14/2025 4:09:43 AM PDT by Cletus.D.Yokel (Catastrophic Anthropogenic Climate Alteration; The acronym defines the science.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: simpson96

Dietz nuts.


31 posted on 04/14/2025 4:13:48 AM PDT by Dr.Deth
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Fai Mao

As a kid I used to try to get gas engines to run on diesel. Diesel will not ignite with a spark plug, thus the engine does not run. Drain the diesel out of the fuel system, put in fresh gas and it runs great.

Diesel is a very mild lubricant, it will hurt nothing. However gas in a diesel engine may ruin the injectors and fuel pump because gasoline has no lubricating qualities.

Bio-diesel is known to ruin diesel engine injectors. It trashed my Case tractor’s injectors. Most of the Minnesota state snow plow trucks were out of service one winter because the idiots mandated bio-diesel. It either ruined the injectors or the pumps. The idea of trying to burn used cooking oil in a $50,000 engine is more lefty lunacy.


32 posted on 04/14/2025 4:27:39 AM PDT by redfreedom (Happiness is shopping at Walmart and not hearing Spanish once!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Fai Mao

I don’t think diesel will ruin an engine - but it does require a whole system cleanout...


33 posted on 04/14/2025 5:23:14 AM PDT by trebb (So many fools - so little time...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Fai Mao

“If you want to ruin a gasoline engine I’ve been told you add diesel”

Not sure about ruining a gas engine. Diesel mixed makes the engine run hotter which would show on the Temp gauge. It would be diluted with additional gas. EFI also adjusts mixture for fuel changes.


34 posted on 04/14/2025 5:33:30 AM PDT by Justa (Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: simpson96

The aggravated menacing charge was tacked on because he said “Lucky I didn’t go over with a .357 and start shooting the place up” to officers in their cruiser after being arrested.

How is that Menacing? He wasn’t talking about doing it to the cops and the lady wasn’t there.

And never talk to the cops, especially after you’ve been arrested.


35 posted on 04/14/2025 5:59:31 AM PDT by KrisKrinkle (c)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ProtectOurFreedom

?

You’d put someone in a chokehold for confessing to not shooting, and admitting an urge that he didn’t act upon?


36 posted on 04/14/2025 6:29:36 AM PDT by No.6
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: lone star annie

Ping pong balls might dissolve. Their residue or parts could plug things.

Sugar. I don’t think it plugs the filter. I think it dissolves and then when it burns it fouls the cylinders and coats and stops the exhaust valves from free movement, thus burning the valves and seats.


37 posted on 04/14/2025 6:57:56 AM PDT by Scrambler Bob (Running Rampant, and not endorsing nonsense; My pronoun is EXIT. And I am generally full of /S)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-37 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson