A Fayette County man who said he planned to harm relatives in Scottdale in a barrage of text messages this week intentionally swerved his car toward a responding police officer who was investigating the threats, according to court papers.
The Scottdale patrolman, Michael Whipkey, said in court documents he turned his patrol car to narrowly avoid a collision with Justin R. Dodd, 40, along Collins Avenue at Courtland Street. Dodd lost control of his white Audi and crashed into a parked SUV.
It happened at 6:06 a.m. Monday, police said.
Whipkey reported Dodd’s car was inoperable, but he refused to surrender or follow commands to get out of the vehicle.
Because of text threats Dodd made minutes earlier to two Scottdale women that he was carrying a loaded firearm and planned to “ruin” one of the women when he arrived, Whipkey called for assistance from multiple municipal police units and state police, he said.
“(Dodd) also sent a text to one victim that if there were any cops sent to there when he came she was going to have a memory of a lifetime,” Whipkey wrote in court papers.
After Dodd ignored repeated attempts to surrender, troopers used a bulletproof shield to approach the vehicle and a baton to break a window and take Dodd into custody, Whipkey reported.
“But due to Dodd resisting and kicking at officers, officers had to use force to restrain him,” Whipkey said.
Whipkey said officers recovered an unloaded revolver and multiple knives within reach of the driver’s seat. The weapons were seized as evidence, police said.
Dodd was arraigned Wednesday on charges of aggravated assault, careless driving, disorderly conduct, reckless driving, resisting arrest, simple assault and making terroristic threats.
Online court dockets said he has no prior criminal record in Pennsylvania. He did not have and attorney listed in court documents.
Dodd was ordered held in the county jail on $10,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Jan. 5.
