A trucker who told authorities he threw chunks of iron ore at oncoming cars because he said they wouldn’t dim their high beams has been sentenced to a two-year prison term, the Associated Press recently reported. Authorities said Rogers likely was responsible for dozens of smashed windshields reported on Geauga County roadways — predominantly along U.S. 422 east of LaDue Reservoir — over a three-month period in 2006.
Deputies arrested Rogers on 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 already had shattered two windshields on the highway that morning, bringing the total to 30 since Sept. 5, authorities said. Investigators who searched inside the cab of Rogers’ truck reported finding 15 pieces of the iron ore, known as taconite.
Rogers had worked for a Mahoning County trucking company and regularly drove U.S. 422, officials said. Chief Deputy Scott Hildenbrand of the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office said a rock whipped into moving traffic poses as much danger as a fired bullet.
