Man suspected of hitting worker handling tornado debris will not face criminal charges

UPDATE @ 9 a.m. (June 6): 

The Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office declined to approve charges for a man accused of hitting a Vandalia Public Works worker who was cleaning up tornado debris on Benchwood Road Monday.

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Keith Cashman, 44, of Centerville was arrested Monday on preliminary charges of aggravated vehicular assault, but he will not face criminal charges after the decision by the prosecutor’s office. Prosecutors said felony charges did not meet certain specifications since the victim did not suffer serious injuries, detectives stated in a police incident report.

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Butler Twp. police did issue Cashman a citation for failure to control, driving on a closed road, and leaving the scene of a crash, according to the police report.

According to investigators, Cashman was the driver of a car that crashed into a road closed barrier at the intersection of Benchwood Road and Town Center Drive around 1 p.m. Monday.

A public works worker approached the driver, checked to see if he was injured, and asked for the driver to wait while police were called. Cashman then allegedly but the car into reverse, with the driver’s side door open, which hit and pinned the public works worker between the door and a dump truck, investigators state in the incident report.

The worker then punched Cashman while he was still pinned before Cashman was able to drive off, according to police.

The worker was transported to Miami Valley Hospital for observation but his injuries were described as minor.

Cashman was later located at his home in Centerville and was arrested. While the charges were cleared in Monday’s incident, he remains booked in the Montgomery County Jail Thursday morning on a probation violation, jail records show.

UPDATE @ 4:20 p.m. (June 4): A 44-year-old man is in jail on preliminary charges accusing him in an assault on a Vandalia public works employee who was handling debris from one of the Memorial Day tornadoes.

Keith Cashman was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on Monday afternoon pending the formal filing of aggravated vehicular assault and drug possession charges.

The formal charge keeping him in jail is a probation violation involving trafficking in marijuana, according to online jail records.

According to the Butler Twp. police incident log, the victim was at Town Center Drive and Benchwood Road in the township, working on clearing a section of tornado debris, when he confronted a man in a vehicle who had driven past a road closed sign for a section of roadway shut down for cleanup.

The victim, using a photo array from police, later identified the driver as Cashman.

The victim said the man backed up the vehicle, with its driver’s door open, and pinned the victim’s legs between the door and a Vandalia service truck.

The man in the vehicle turned around and drove off.

The victim, who suffered abrasions, was taken to a hospital.

INITIAL REPORT (June 3)

A public works employee cleaning up tornado debris was reportedly hit by a car that drove through a road closed sign on Benchwood Road, according to emergency scanner traffic.

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Officers and medics were dispatched to the 3300 block of Benchwood Road, between North Dixie Drive and Miller Lane, in Butler Twp. around 1 p.m. on reports of a car that tried to hit a public works worker, initial reports indicate.

The car reportedly crashed through a road closed barricade, then hit the public works worker when they attempted to help the driver.

The worker was reportedly taken to an area hospital, but their condition wasn’t immediately available. Reports indicate the worker was alert, conscious, and moving after the crash.

The car took off from the scene after hitting the worker, but it was not immediately known if the driver or suspect vehicle was located.

This news outlet has reached out to Butler Twp. police for comment and will update this story when we hear back.