A 77-year-old Jackson Township man has been charged following a vehicle-pedestrian collision that occurred during a protest earlier this month, according to an update from the Jackson Township Police Department.
Police said the incident happened around 2:10 p.m. Oct. 18 on Fulton Drive NW during the No Kings Protest. The driver, identified as Donald Frank, was traveling westbound on Fulton Drive when his vehicle struck a pedestrian standing about 1½ to 2 feet from the curb. Investigators said Frank’s vehicle straddled the right-turn-only and through lanes before breaching the curb and hitting the pedestrian.
Authorities said the vehicle fled the scene but was located shortly after at Frank’s residence in Jackson Township with help from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
After reviewing evidence with the Massillon Prosecutor’s Office, investigators determined the collision was not intentional. Witness statements, video footage, and Automated License Plate Reader data showed Frank was not the operator of a white truck reportedly seen making harassing gestures toward protesters earlier that day.
Police said there was no evidence of impairment from medication or other substances. However, investigators found substantial evidence that Frank knew, or reasonably should have known, that the collision occurred and failed to stop as required by law.
Frank, of the 9600 block of Lafayette Drive NW, has been charged with one count of stopping after an accident under R.C. 4549.021(A)(1) and one count of marked lanes under R.C. 4511.33(A).
The Jackson Township Police Department also submitted a BMV recertification form requiring Frank to undergo a medical review. Police said the evidence available regarding the victim’s injuries does not rise to the level of a felony charge.
No further information will be released, according to the department.
