CIRCLEVILLE — Circleville police found no visible injuries and identified no suspects after a man reported early Tuesday that he had been assaulted with a safe, according to a police report.
Officer Murphy was dispatched about 3:29 a.m. Sept. 15 to the area of Clark Drive and North Pickaway Street. He found the man walking on Clark Drive. Circleville EMS later took him to OhioHealth Berger Hospital.
The man said the assault happened near Pontious Lane and Rustic Drive. He told the officer he was hit in the face with a safe, that his lip was busted and his tongue was cut, and that he was struck in the ribs. Officer Murphy wrote that he saw no injuries to the face, lip or tongue. After the man lifted his shirt, the officer also saw no red marks or bruises on his rib cage.
A young man who works at TriMold said the other man had picked him up from work and driven to the Rustic Drive area. The young man said he did not see the alleged assault because he was inside a home. He and his mother told the officer they were unsure exactly where they were when it happened.
The young man said the other man had been acting strangely for two or three days after starting new medicine. He described him as very excited and “talking crazy.” He said the man claimed to have four new vehicles and a car shop, talked about large amounts of money he had received or given away, and said he had given his girlfriend $2,000 in recent days.
The mother said she had noticed the change too and believed the medicine might be affecting his behavior. She directed officers to a home where the man had been staying.
A woman at that residence told Officer Murphy the man had taken her vehicle that night without asking. They argued when he returned. She said he left to see a woman named Kim about money he owed, then came back crying and said, “Look what they did to me.” He later left with the young man and another friend.
The woman said the man had not slept for days and had been taking too much medicine. She had tried to talk with him about it and he argued. She wanted him to gather his belongings and leave but did not want him trespassed. She said she hoped he would spend a few days in the hospital “to get his mind right.”
At Berger Hospital, Officer Murphy asked the man whether he had permission to use the vehicle. The man said he had spoken with the woman earlier in the day and she had told him he could use it to pick the young man up from work. When he returned, he said, she was upset that he had taken the car.
He said a woman named Kim approached him and assaulted him before he could walk into the house. Asked where Kim lives, he said he could show the officer in a couple of minutes but did not give an address during the interview.
The man then showed photos of bank accounts he said he had sent to others to prove he would pay them back. He said he had sent $500 and provided login information so they could access his accounts. He also talked about buying an auto shop near Ted Lewis Park, then said it was closer to Nicholas Square apartments. When the mother asked where the shop was, he said her son had the key to close the shop door.
The mother later told Officer Murphy she had checked with her son. The son said he did not have a key and did not know where any shop was located. Hospital staff said they were releasing the man. Officer Murphy advised him to rest and take the new medicine as prescribed. The mother said she would follow up with police later in the day.
Officer Murphy wrote that he had no evidence of an assault and no suspects in the incident.
