GIBSONBURG, OH — A 25-year-old Gibsonburg man is being held in the Sandusky County jail after police said he stabbed and seriously wounded an officer responding to a trespassing complaint at a private business Wednesday morning. Authorities identified the suspect as Scott Dodd, who is charged with felonious assault and has not yet appeared in court.
According to a news release from the Gibsonburg Police Department, the officer went to the business to check on the complaint and found Dodd on the property. Police said the encounter turned violent when the officer tried to move him away, and the officer fired a shot as Dodd ran into nearby woods.
Officer Responds To Trespass
Police said the call began as a routine response to a report of trespassing at a private business. The officer’s name has not been released, and investigators have not said what led to the dispute before the stabbing began. The incident happened Wednesday morning in Gibsonburg, a village about 33 miles southeast of Toledo with roughly 2,500 residents.
During the confrontation, Dodd allegedly attacked the officer with a knife while she was trying to clear him from the property. The officer then fired at him, after which he escaped into a wooded area nearby. The encounter set off a large search that drew help from several police departments and the Sandusky County Sheriff’s Office.
Multiagency Search Follows
As officers searched for Dodd, Woodmore School District placed nearby buildings on lockdown. Police did not say how long the lockdown lasted, but it was tied directly to the search for the suspect. The response involved local departments and county deputies working together in the area around the business and the woods where Dodd fled.
Authorities captured Dodd just after 3 p.m., ending the manhunt that began after the stabbing. Police said the officer was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition Wednesday. The Blade reported that Dodd was wounded in his right cheek by the gunshot and was also treated at a hospital.
Charges And Injuries
Dodd faces a felony assault charge in connection with the attack on the officer, according to Sandusky County jail records. He remains in custody while the case moves forward, and police said he has not yet gone before a judge. The officer’s injuries were serious enough to require hospital treatment, but officials said she remained stable.
The case now has two separate investigations underway. The Sandusky County Sheriff’s Office is examining the stabbing, while the Ohio Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the officer-involved shooting. Police have not released additional details about the weapon used, the condition of the suspect beyond his hospital treatment, or what may have happened before officers arrived.
What Authorities Say Next
For now, officials are focused on the parallel criminal and investigative tracks that followed the confrontation. One inquiry centers on the alleged stabbing and the trespassing response, while the other looks at the shooting that happened as the suspect fled. Both agencies have said they are handling their respective portions of the case.
Gibsonburg officials have not announced a court date for Dodd or provided a timetable for further public updates. The known facts remain limited to the initial police account, the jail record charge, the hospital treatment for both Dodd and the officer, and the joint law enforcement response that ended with his capture Wednesday afternoon.
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