Body of suspect recovered from lake

CELINA - The body of an unidentified man believed to be the suspect of an attempted vehicle theft on Christmas night was recovered from Grand Lake off West Bank Road on Saturday morning.

As of Sunday evening, the identity of the dead man - described as a Black male, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighing around 180 pounds and possibly in his 30s - was still unknown.

"We have leads but not a definitive ID yet," Celina Police Chief Tom Wale told The Daily Standard. Wale said he's awaiting autopsy results from the Montgomery County Coroner's Office."We believe it's a drowning, but we need to get identification of the body."

Shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday, Celina police were dispatched to Bud's Chrysler at 945 S. Main St. in response to a reported car alarm. Upon arrival, police Sgt. Kyle Balthis observed an individual inside a pickup truck on the dealership lot, according to Wale.

As Balthis approached the vehicle, the individual fled on foot. Balthis then gave chase to the suspect, who was wearing a ski mask, Wale said.

The suspect reportedly ran east across U.S. Route 127 toward West Bank Road, passing the Community Medical Center and continuing through nearby residential properties. Balthis ultimately lost sight of the suspect. Authorities then launched a search in the area.

"It was Celina police and the on-duty deputies from the sheriff's office," Wale said.

The suspect was not located, but further investigation revealed that he had attempted to steal the pickup truck from Bud's Chrysler, according to Wale, who declined to elaborate on what led officers to that conclusion.

Wale described the pickup truck as a used, gray Dodge model.

"One of the officers told me it had some desirable features on it, but I don't know what those were," he said.

At 4:45 p.m. Friday, critical evidence emerged when a resident in the search area reviewed personal security footage after noticing prior police activity. The footage reportedly showed the same individual who had fled from police the night before.

While reviewing the video, police officers observed the suspect ducking behind a retaining wall to hide from police, and a short time later, lowering himself into the lake, Wale confirmed. The suspect was not seen exiting the water.

"He went over the wall, basically onto the boardwalk," Wale said. "From the boardwalk, he lowered himself into the lake."

Wale reiterated that the suspect intentionally went into the lake.

"He grabbed the edge of the concrete on the boardwalk and slipped over the side into the water," Wale said. "I don't know if he thought the lake was frozen or not, but he deliberately went into the lake to avoid apprehension."

Another search was conducted that evening, but darkness hampered visibility, making it difficult to determine whether anyone remained in the water, Wale said, noting that officers continued to monitor and patrol the area.

"When it's dark and sending in the dive team, it's not safe for them to enter at night," Wale explained.

The search resumed Saturday morning, with the Celina Fire Department and its dive team coming out to assist police officers, Wale said. Shortly after 9 a.m., the body of the suspect was reportedly recovered, with the use of a pole. No identification was found on the body.

"The pole located the body pretty quickly, within minutes of arrival," he said.

Additionally, Wale said burglary tools were recovered, including a device believed to be used to reprogram a vehicle's security and ignition system.

"Then they had to go into the water to recover the individual and the items that were with and around him," Wale said.

Asked by the newspaper, Wale described how the body retrieved from the lake was linked to that of the suspect involved in the attempted pickup truck theft.

"The officer saw him, saw his build, what he was wearing," Wale said. "The individual that was wearing the exact same clothes and same body type and build went by the camera and went in the lake."

The body was transported to the Montgomery County Coroner's Office for autopsy and positive identification.

"Generally in Mercer County, if we want an autopsy or forensic identification made, we use Montgomery County Coroner's Office, in most cases. Occasionally (we use) Lucas County," Wale said. "When we get BCI (Bureau of Criminal Investigation) involved, they usually prefer Lucas County because that's kind of where they're based out of."

Wale is unsure when autopsy results will be completed.

"It can take days or weeks. Some cases it can take a couple months," he said. "We just have to be patient and wait on them to finish their autopsy."

The coroner's office will likely use fingerprints, or if need be, DNA, to identify the deceased, Wale said.

It's also unknown at this point whether the unidentified suspect was working alone when he allegedly attempted to steal the pickup truck.

"I think it's likely he was working with others," Wale said. "At this point we can't definitively say who."

The incident remains under investigation, and anyone who has information or may be able to assist in identifying the suspect is asked to contact the police department at 419-586-92345 or email detective A.J. Poppe at a.poppe@celinaohiopd.gov.

Wale thanked the Mercer County Sheriff's Office, Celina Fire Department and Mercer County Coroner Alyssa Tobe for their assistance in the investigation.