Nov. 01--A woman attempted to escape through the rear window of a police cruiser she repeatedly kicked early Sunday.
Michelle L. Sexton, 39, of Akron, originally was in custody with the Willard Police Department on a Norwalk Municipal Court contempt of court warrant. About 12:30 a.m. Sunday, Huron County Sheriff's Capt. Bob McLaughlin reported setting up a relay with police and transported her to the Huron County Jail.
Forty-six minutes later, McLaughlin reported Sexton kicked out the rear window of his cruiser and attempted to escape near the intersection of Norwood Avenue and Ferris Lane.
Norwalk Police Sgt. Jim Montana, Sgt. Dave Smith and Officer Kenneth Stiert responded to the deputy's call for assistance.
"We located Capt. McLaughlin and a subject, later identified as Dominic Dellisanti, holding Michelle Sexton to the roadway. We observed the passenger side rear window from Capt. McLaughlin's cruiser was severely bent," Smith wrote in his report.
"It was learned, while (McLaughlin was) transporting Ms. Sexton to the Huron County Jail, she kicked the window repeatedly, bending it. She then slipped one of her hands through the handcuff and attempted to crawl through the damaged window," Smith said.
"Mr. Dellisanti had observed the struggle between Capt. McLaughlin and Ms. Sexton and had stopped to help him," he wrote.
Officers resecured Sexton in handcuffs and placed her in the back of sheriff's Cpl. Jeff Kerber's cruiser and transported her to jail without further incident.
Lt. Chris Stanfield, a jail supervisor, said corrections officers were advised of the cruiser incident before Sexton arrived and that she had been combative. He said officers placed her directly into a restraint chair for two hours for both her safety and the staff.
"That usually happens when the prisoner is not compliant," Stanfield said.
"We knew coming in she'd be a potential problem. ... She was pepper-sprayed before intake," he said.
It's unknown if Sexton was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. However, Sheriff Dane Howard said it's suspected due to the circumstances and her behavior.
Interim Willard Police Chief Mark Holden couldn't be reached for comment Monday.
Sexton was charged with escape and vandalism. Each of the fifth-degree felonies is punishable by six to 12 months behind bars and a maximum fine of $2,500.
She is serving a 30-day sentence for a probation violation for a 2010 theft conviction.
Court records show Sexton was found guilty after she entered a plea of "no contest" in early November 2010 and was sentenced to 10 days in jail as part of her two years of intensively-supervised probation. The sheriff's office investigated the Aug. 12, 2010 incident. Judge John Ridge prohibited her from entering the premises of the Indian Trails Campground in New London and from consuming alcohol or "drugs of abuse" while on probation.
Howard said McLaughlin's cruiser will be out of commission while it's being sent in for repairs. The sheriff also said his office will request restitution, which he expects to be "significant," as part of Sexton's case if she's convicted.
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