Drunken Driver Sideswipes North Canton Police Cruiser

A drunken Florida man was arrested after driving without his headlights on and nearly colliding head on with a cruiser early this morning.

What's more? Police say it was a stolen car the guy was driving.

Here's the account police gave in a news release today: The cars were driving in the 5900 block of Market Avenue N. about 2:30 a.m. Kevin C. Kreiter, 59, of Pompano Beach, was driving a 1998 Lincoln Navigator and crested the hill going northbound in the southbound lane.

The officer was forced to swerve left of center to avoid the collision and, in the process, his cruiser was sideswiped on the passenger side. The impact disabled the cruiser, but the officer was not injured.

Unable to initiate a pursuit, he immediately sent a description and direction of the car's travel over the radio. The Navigator continued northbound, forcing several other vehicles off the road. A short time later Lake Township Police found the Navigator stopped in the intersection of Kent Avene NE and Smith Kramer Street NE.

The driver was wandering around the intersection highly intoxicated. He was subsequently arrested and charged and the Navigator was impounded. It was later learned that the Navigator had been involved in a collision just prior to striking the North Canton cruiser. And before that, the Navigator had been reported stolen by its owner.

Officers from the Lake Township Police Department and deputies from the Stark County Sheriff’s Office assisted. Troopers from the Ohio Highway Patrol handled the crash investigation and arrested the driver.

Kreiter was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony; operating a vehicle under the influence, a first-degree misdemeanor; reckless operation; and fleeing the scene of an accident. He was booked into the Stark County Jail.

Additional charges are expected as the various law enforcement agencies continue to investigate the series of events.