Southern Ohio man faces felony charges

VW County Sheriff’s information

Van Wert County Sheriff Thomas M. Riggenbach announced the arrest and indictment of a southern Ohio man on a charge that he made a false report to law enforcement officials.

Donald Z. Thacker Jr., 41, of Centerville, also known as Thurman, in Gallia County, was indicted on three counts of tampering with evidence, each a felony of the third degree; one count of vandalism, a fifth-degree felony; and one count of discharging a firearm on a roadway, a felony of the third degree.

The indictment was handed down during a recent session of the Van Wert County Grand Jury and was the result of a Sheriff’s Office investigation into a report made by Thacker.

Sheriff Riggenbach said Thacker had called 9-1-1 and reported he was at Lincoln Highway and U.S. 30 when unknown individuals attempted into break into the cab of his semi tractor-trailer rig. Thacker also said he was shot and stabbed in the incident.

After a thorough investigation, county detectives determined that Thacker had falsely reported what happened. The sheriff said Thacker was arrested in Gallia County and transported back to the Van Wert County Correctional Facility. He will be arraigned on the above charges today in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.