CANTON ‒ Taggarts Ice Cream sustained heavy exterior and interior damage when the building was hit by a stolen vehicle being chased by law enforcement.
Plate glass windows, broken by a vehicle that backed into the building, were replaced by boards. Wooden tables, chairs and booths inside the dining room were splintered.
Owner Mindy Mullaly said Monday morning she is awaiting word from the city about whether she can re-open the restaurant at 1401 Fulton Road NW.
Meet Mindy Mullaly: She owns Taggarts Ice Cream and Kennedy’s Bar-B-Que
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating the crash that occurred when a 23-year-old drove a stolen car into the building at approximately 2:12 a.m. Monday.
It happened after a trooper from the patrol’s Canton Post tried to get the driver to stop. The motorist attempted a high-speed backing maneuver from 14th Street across Fulton. He backed into the ice cream shop.
The suspect ran away but was soon caught by Canton police.
He was not injured. He was booked into the Stark County Jail on charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle, failure to comply/fleeing from a police officer, vandalism, OVI, driving under license suspension, leaving the scene of an accident and driving with no tail lights.