WESTLAKE, Ohio (WOIO/Gray News) – Police arrested a 64-year-old Ohio man after he allegedly tracked down a woman more than a year after a car crash to vandalize her home with spray paint and pour sugar in her gas tank.
Officers with Westlake Police responded to a call from a homeowner reporting that someone had vandalized her property around 7 a.m. Thursday. When they arrived at the home, they found the front of it, including the windows and Ring doorbell camera, heavily covered with black spray paint, WOIO reports.
Police say they believe the suspect, later identified as 64-year-old Michael Dietz, also attempted to pour sugar into the gas tank of the victim’s car.
“He wrote a lot of words, many of them misspelled, on the house itself plus took time to spray paint the windows. If you watch the surveillance video, he even notices the cameras that are there and spray paints the cameras,” Police Capt. Gerry Vogel said.
After reviewing surveillance camera footage, police say the victim noted the suspect looked familiar. It was determined she was involved in a traffic crash with Dietz in August 2023, according to police.
When officers followed up with Dietz, police say he matched the person caught on camera and admitted that he caused the damage.
Here’s how that interaction went:
Officer: What did you do over there at her house?
Dietz: I [expletive] sprayed [expletive] on her house.
Officer: Why?
Dietz: Because she’s an [expletive].
Officer: What else did you do?
Dietz: I tried putting sugar in the car.
Dietz was arrested and spent the night in jail before going in front of a judge Friday, facing felony vandalism and misdemeanor aggravated menacing charges. The aggravated menacing charge was tacked on when he made a chilling comment to officers in their cruiser after being arrested.
Dietz: Lucky I didn’t go over with a .357 and start shooting the place up.
Officer: You don’t say stuff like that.
Dietz: I know, but I didn’t do that. I just spray-painted the outside.
Police say after more than a year and a half, Dietz tracked down the woman who was at fault in that accident back in 2023. He made comments to officers about ongoing court actions and medical issues stemming from the accident, something he is still very angry about.
“You would expect maybe a kid or a young adult would do something like this – not thinking things through fully – but this was a 64-year-old man who should definitely know better,” Vogel said.
Police say additional charges may be presented to the county grand jury.
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