BUCYRUS — The first witnesses testified in Crawford County Common Pleas Court Tuesday in the abduction and bribery case of former sheriff’s corrections officer Jason Tupps.
Tupps, 45, of Galion, is accused of holding a motorist at gunpoint in July 2018 and of threatening to shoot her. The incident led to multiple charges against Tupps including improper handling of a firearm, abduction, driving under the influence of alcohol, using weapons while intoxicated, aggravated menacing, and assured clear distance.
Abbey Dickman, 27, of Norwalk was 25 when she encountered Jason Tupps. Dickman, a Home Health Care worker, had been living in Mansfield but was unfamiliar with the area. On the night in question, Dickman testified that she was using the GPS system in her phone to locate the home of her uncle who lived in Galion. Dickman had planned to help her uncle hang drywall.
She told the jury she was traveling under the speed limit in unfamiliar conditions when she noticed a large black SUV following her. She said the vehicle followed her for 10-15 minutes.
An emotional and crying Dickman said she crossed railroad tracks and pulled into a driveway so the vehicle could pass her car. The vehicle did not pass her, but rear ended her car. Dickman said she realized she had a short distance to reach her uncle’s house and pulled out turned left twice and entered her uncle’s driveway.
Dickman told the jury she did not stop because she was being followed and had been rear-ended. When she arrived in her uncle’s driveway, she tried to leave her car when Tupps ordered her at gunpoint to the ground.
Clearly upset, Dickman paused to take a drink of water and used a tissue to wipe her tears.
“He told me to get on the ground or he would shoot me,” Dickman said. “He said if I moved, he would shoot me.”
Prosecutor Margaret Tomaro showed Dickman a picture of her lying on the ground at gunpoint and asked her to identify the man holding the gun. Dickman identified Tupps.
Dickman testified that she was still afraid to get off the ground when other officers arrived. She said a Galion police officer came to her and told her it was okay to stand up.
On cross examination, Tupps’ attorney, James Mayer, clarified that Dickman was not living in Norwalk at the time of the incident. She verified that she had been living in Mansfield recently but did not know the area.
Mayer also had Dickman confirm that she had been on the phone with a friend before the incident. Dickman said she told her friend she was being followed but hung up. When Mayer asked her if she called 911, Dickman confirmed she did not.
Mayer described the scene as Dickman going at a low speed, tapping her breaks, looking at her phone and talking on her phone. Mayer asked Dickman if she activated her turn signal when she wanted to turn off the road so Tupps could pass her. She said she signaled.
Mayer showed a picture of the damage to Dickman’s car noting that the damage was minimal and repairable with a buffing and paint job. He asked Dickman if she knew she was in an accident why she did not stop.
“I was freaked out,” Dickman said.
“Despite all the stress, you managed to get to your destination,” Mayer said.
Dickman admitted that she sought medical attention after she told police officers that she was okay. She told the jury that she hurt her back going to the ground. Before resting his examination, Mayer told Dickman there were no shots fired, Tupps called the police and that his client was in full uniform. Dickman said she could not see Tupps right away because the windows of his vehicle were tinted.
In redirect, Tomaro asked Dickman if she thought she was indeed in an accident or if she had been hit on purpose.
“It was on purpose. I hurt my back because I had to drop pretty fast,” Dickman said. “If I would have moved, he would have shot me.”
The next witness the state called was Sabrina Burn of Galion. She was at her home when the incident occurred and watched out the window.
Burn said she was about to go out when she saw a police officer holding Dickman at gunpoint. She identified Tupps as the person holding the gun on Hickman. Burn also said she snapped a picture of the event and posted it to Snapchat with this caption; “Oh, cool, right when I’m about to leave.”
On cross examination, Burn told Mayer that she had seen Hickman at her uncle’s house, but they were only acquaintances. Mayer asked Burn why she did not call 911. She told the jury she could hear that they were already on the way.
The state’s next two witnesses were the dispatchers that received the 911 call from Tupps. Crawford County Sheriff’s Dispatcher Anne Tarchanin told the jury that she answers all 911 calls coming into the county from cell phones and then redirects them to the appropriate dispatch department.
Tomaro had Tarchanin listen to her portion of the call before she switched it to the Galion Police Department. In the tape, Tupps can be heard saying that he was on County Line Road in Galion. Tupps also is heard saying; “Some guy rammed me, blew through stop sign, don’t you move, or I will shoot you.”
Tarchanin stayed on the line until the Galion dispatcher answered.
On cross-examination, Tarchanin told Mayer that she never had an officer dial 911. Officers usually call the business line. She said she did not know Tupps had a firearm until she transferred the call to Galion.
Galion Police Dispatcher Raine Beck said she heard Tupps order Hickman out of the car and on the ground. She said Tupps told her that Dickman hit him with her car.
Tomaro resumed the tape of the 911 call. Tupps could be heard again threatening to shoot Dickman. He said Dickman rammed his car. Beck is heard telling Tupps that officers are on route and telling responding officers that Tupps had the woman at gunpoint.
On cross examination, Beck said that in her 16 years of experience as a dispatcher no officer has ever called her on 911 in such a situation.
Following Beck’s testimony, Judge Robert Pollex adjourned for the day. The trial resumes Wednesday at 9 a.m. back in Common Pleas Court.
(To hear the 911 call in its entirety, check out the Crawford County Now Website)