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Man charged for stealing cars, driving wrong way down I-77

Man charged for stealing cars, driving wrong way down I-77
Posted at 5:44 PM, May 23, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-23 18:06:30-04

A man police say stole a car and drove the wrong way on Interstate 77 between Green and Belden Village Mall on Tuesday afternoon has been charged.

Police say a man broke into a home on East Caston Road in Green around 1:45 p.m., threatened the homeowner and demanded her car keys. The woman called 911, and an alert was issued.

About 15 minutes later a man was reported trying to break into cars on Massillon Road in Green. When deputies responded, they found a man had stolen a car and learned he was driving southbound in the northbound lanes of I-77.

The driver was identified as John Payne, 46, whom police say was the same man who broke into the home in Green, police said. Payne was charged with felonious assault, aggravated burglary and robbery.