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Inset: Michael Dietz. Background: Vandalized home in Westlake, Ohio (Westlake police).
Michael Dietz was not shy about his alleged actions when Ohio cops asked him about the vandalism at the home of a woman with whom he was involved in a car crash over a year ago.
“I f—ing spray painted a—hole on her house,” Dietz told Westlake cops, according to body camera video viewed by Law&Crime.
“Why?” asked the cop.
“Because she’s an a—hole,” he retorted.
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While in the patrol car on the way to jail, Dietz went further.
“That b— is lucky I didn’t go over with a .357 and start shooting the place up,” he proclaimed.
Now Dietz, 64, is facing charges of vandalism and aggravated menacing.
Officers in Westlake, a suburb of Cleveland, responded to the victim’s home on Thursday morning after she saw the damage to her home and vehicle. Ring camera footage showed a man arrive shortly before 5 a.m. and try to pour sugar down a SUV parked in her driveway, a criminal complaint said. He proceed to spray paint the word “a—hole” several times, though it was misspelled, police said.
While tagging the home, Dietz apparently saw the camera and spray painted over it, a video showed. Not even the University of Alabama flag in the front yard was spared.
When asked who may want to vandalize the property, the woman and her husband suggested Dietz. She and the suspect had been involved in a car accident in August 2023.
After Dietz allegedly admitted to being the perpetrator, he told cops he was “not happy” with how the crash was handled and he intended to sue the victim. He said he was still suffering from back pain.
Officers noticed a black backpack the suspect used at the scene as they were interviewing Dietz at his house.
“Upon inspection, the bag contained clear plastic gloves, a reusable Giant Eagle grocery bag, sugar residue, and a blue funnel. These items are consistent with the tools and evidence left at the scene,” cops wrote.
Police arrested Dietz without further incident. It’s unclear if he has a lawyer or when he is next scheduled to appear in court. The case will be sent to a grand jury where he may face additional charges.
Westlake cops were incredulous that a man of Dietz’s age would allegedly commit such an act.
“You would expect maybe a kid or a young young adult would do something like this. Not thinking things through fully. But this was a 64-year-old man who should definitely know better,” Capt. Gerry Vogel told local CBS affiliate WOIO.
