Bright lights reportedly gave an Ohio truck driver a not-so-bright idea. Glenn Rogers Jr. told investigators that he hurled hunks of iron ore at oncoming traffic with high beams to express his displeasure, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported Wednesday, Dec. 13. Rogers was trying to “knock out” headlights with his tosses, said Chief Deputy Scott Hildenbrand of the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities told the Plain Dealer that Rogers may be responsible for dozens of smashed windshields reported on Geauga roadways — predominantly along U.S. 422 east of LaDue Reservoir — over the past three months. Rogers, 40, pleaded not guilty in Chardon Municipal Court to three felony charges of vehicular vandalism, the newspaper reported. Police Prosecutor Dennis Coyne told the Plain Dealer additional charges are expected when the case gets presented to the county’s grand jury.
According to the newspaper, deputies arrested Rogers on Tuesday, Dec. 12, after a motorist reported seeing him toss an object out of his dump truck window while driving on U.S. 422. Thrown rocks shattered two windshields on the highway that morning, bringing the total to 30 since Sept. 5, the Plain Dealer reported.
Investigators reported finding 15 pieces of the iron ore, known as taconite, inside the cab of Rogers’ truck. He works for a Mahoning County trucking company and regularly drives U.S. 422, officials said. Hildenbrand told the Plain Dealer a rock whipped into moving traffic poses as much danger as a fired bullet.
