By Benny Westcott
Of The New Era
A Sweet Home man was arrested Sunday, April 24, on one count of first-degree assault after allegedly striking a man twice with a vehicle.
The incident was reported shortly after 1:30 p.m in a shared parking lot between Spoleto’s Pizzeria & Wine Shop and a laundromat in the 4800 block of Highway 20.
According to Sweet Home Police Captain Jason Ogden, 18-year-old Jesse James Calvin Johnson was arguing that afternoon with his father when he took the keys to the older man’s 2012 Dodge pickup “by force.”
The father, Ogden added, said that his son suffered from unspecified intellectual disabilities.
Multiple callers reported that the younger Johnson then drove the truck in circles around the parking lot before hitting 72-year-old Thomas Hannah of Eugene. Ogden said that by the time officers arrived on scene, the truck had stopped, the suspect was still in the area and Hannah was at a nearby business. He was then transported with injuries to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis.
As of Monday, he was reported to be in fair condition.
Now lodged at the Linn County Jail, Johnson was arraigned Monday afternoon, April 25, at Linn County Circuit Court. Prosecutor Ani Yardumian alleged that Johnson ran Hannah down, then backed over him, adding that it wasn’t clear if the victim would survive his injuries.
Judge Keith Stein set Johnson’s security at $150,000 and appointed Edward Talmadge as his defense attorney.
Johnson’s next hearing is set for Monday, May 9.