Bond set at $200,000 for suspect in W. Toledo carjacking

2/28/2014

A man in a skeleton mask carjacked a woman at knife point behind a West Toledo bar on Thursday night, took police on a pursuit in the stolen vehicle, and seriously injured a pedestrian when the suspect drove up on the sidewalk, police said.

Police charged Ronald Neipp, 52, of 505 Selma St., with aggravated robbery, felonious assault, failure to comply with a police officer, and resisting arrest. He remains in the Lucas County jail in lieu of $200,000 bond.

Kristine Hennessey, 36, of Toledo, told police she was parking her car behind J&D's Side Trip bar, 1534 W. Sylvania Ave., at 10:23 p.m.

She told police she was still in the driver's seat when a man wearing a skeleton mask and carrying a “very large hunting knife” walked up and said, “Gimmie all you got,” according to a police report.

“Are you serious?” Ms. Hennessey asked, thinking that because of two recent armed robberies there that the man was playing a joke, the report states.

“Yes I'm serious,” the masked man said.

The victim told the man she only had a credit car and he demanded she move to the passenger seat.

She complied and the suspect got in the car.

A second man approached, asked what the man was doing, saw the knife, and backed away.

As the suspect started to drive away, Ms. Hennessey got out of the car.

Shortly after the robbery was reported, police saw someone driving Ms. Hennessey's Dodge Durango and wound up in a pursuit.

During the pursuit, Dwayne Smith, a pedestrian who was on the sidewalk, was struck by the Durango and reportedly suffered serious injuries.

The Durango eventually crashed into a car parked in the 4100 block of Kingsbury Dr. The suspect got out and was arrested, police said.

Mr. Smith remains hospitalized in serious condition at Toledo Hospital, a spokesman said.