A Belle Center man was arrested Thursday afternoon, Dec. 4, following an alleged domestic violence incident at a residence on Maple Avenue in the village.
Deputies from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office responded around 2 p.m. after a woman reported she was assaulted by her boyfriend, Cole M. Wilt, 33. The victim told deputies she left the home to seek safety at a neighbor’s house after an argument about a doctor’s appointment escalated. She reported that Wilt yelled at her, took her phone and car keys, and grabbed her as she tried to leave, forcing her back toward the house.
A neighbor who witnessed the incident intervened and helped the victim get away, deputies said. The woman reported she is pregnant and stated there have been previous unreported incidents involving threats and physical harm.
Deputies contacted Wilt at the residence. After initially denying an altercation occurred and saying he “talked her back into the house” and did not drag her, he was detained and later advised of his rights. Wilt disputed the victim’s account but admitted there was an argument.
He was transported to the Logan County Jail on charges of domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor, and unlawful restraint, a third-degree misdemeanor.
Driver arrested for OVI after car found in ditch
A Hilliard man was arrested Thursday evening, Dec. 4 after deputies reportedly found him impaired behind the wheel of a vehicle that had gone in a ditch along State Route 235 at Ash Street.
The Logan County Sheriff’s Office received multiple calls shortly before 5:50 p.m. about a car in a ditch, with callers reporting that the driver appeared intoxicated and was attempting to leave the scene. Deputies arrived to find a 2012 Toyota Corolla off the road and several bystanders nearby.
The driver, identified as Jeffrey J. Febus, 48, showed signs of intoxication, deputies said, including slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and a strong odor of alcohol. A witness told deputies Febus had been consuming alcohol earlier at a social club before driving.
Authorities reported that Febus struggled to stand without assistance, admitted to drinking, and later changed his account of how much alcohol he had consumed. He refused field sobriety tests and declined a breath test once transported to the Logan County Jail, where his license was seized.
Febus was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and failure to control. His vehicle, which sustained no visible damage, was towed from the scene.
