Man Charged with Throwing Items at Occupied Vehicles

WAYNE TOWNSHIP — Police have identified James John McDonald, 43, of 1052 Main St., Wampum, as a suspect. McDonald threw an iced tea bottle at an unmarked state police cruiser.

There have been many reports made to local police about suspects throwing items at other cars while driving down the road. In an Ellwood City Police report, a man reported he was driving down the road when the car in front of him threw an object at his windshield, causing damage to the vehicle. The incidents have been occurring on Wednesdays between the hours of 9 and 11 p.m., police were on the road around 10:45 p.m. and spotted McDonald’s sport-utility vehicle.

Police had been patrolling the area in response to numerous reports from drivers that someone had hit their car with items as they were driving by another vehicle. No one was reported hurt, but the vehicles sustained windshield damage and dents.

According to the state police report, a trooper started his vehicle from the opposite direction of McDonald to attempt to identify him. As the vehicles passed, the trooper said he heard a loud bang “causing an unknown substance to impair my vision by covering the front left windshield.” As the trooper turned his car to pursue, he saw an empty iced tea bottle in the road. Police said they later saw the bottle had also dented the car.

Another officer involved conducted a traffic stop on McDonald’s SUV between Jockey Moore Road and the Wayne Township Municipal Building. When the officer approached the vehicle, the trooper smelled a strong odor of marijuana and observed an unlabeled prescription bottle on the seat that appeared to contain marijuana seeds. Police searched the vehicle finding a bag inside the SUV that contained suspected marijuana, a smoking pipe, a metal grinder, smoking papers and a roller.

McDonald was charged Thursday with reckless endangerment, throwing items at occupied vehicles, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, driving while under the control of a controlled substance and criminal mischief. He was placed in the Lawrence County Jail after being unable to post $100,000 bond.