‘People actually went up thinking it was a police officer:’ Man steals Springfield police cruiser, crashes

A New Carlisle man stole a Springfield police cruiser before crashing it near The Meadows Restaurant on U.S. 40 Thursday night.

The Springfield Police Division said in a statement that the 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe was stolen from their garage at police headquarters on N. Fountain Ave. in downtown Springfield just before 11:30 p.m., according to a police report.

A 911 call into dispatch described a man in black shorts and a white tank top, possibly drunk, who was wandering in and out of the street and headed toward the garage.

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The driver, identified as 33-year-old William Dufner Jr. of New Carlisle sped down U.S. 40 at speeds of close to 100 mph, according to the State Highway Patrol Springfield Post.

“Swerving, cutting cars off, things like that,” said Springfield Post Commander, Lt. Brian Aller. “And we actually had one witness who was going to call 911 just because of the reckless operation of the driving.”

Aller said Dufner drove off the right side of the road, went into a ditch and then ramped over a driveway, where the vehicle overturned and went sideways.

“When the crash occurred, people actually went up thinking it was a police officer inside the vehicle and obviously it was not,” he said.

A pizza delivery driver said he was one of the first people on the scene of the accident, and assisted the injured driver in the police cruiser, along with another motorist.

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Aller said they believe impairment was a factor in the crash, and he thinks the police cruiser is beyond repair. Dufner was not wearing his seat belt, according to witness reports. He was transported by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, where he was still listed in critical condition, as of Monday evening.

No one else was injured during the crash.

Dufner has an extensive criminal history with cases in Clark County Municipal Court dating back to 2002. He was indicted in Clark County in late June of this year for burglary charges at a property on Edwards Avenue.

On Monday, debris from the crash remained on the side of the road, including several pieces of the stolen cruiser.

Springfield Twp. Fire Department, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and the Springfield Police Division responded to the crash, according to a release. Aller said the Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. Officials with the Springfield Police Division have also opened an investigation into the theft.

The Clark County Prosecutor will be consulted before any charges are filed, the release says.

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