Apr 25, 2013 2 min read

A man was struck by a vehicle Thursday afternoon after he was robbed in the parking lot of a Red Roof Inn in Canton Township.

Mikeal “Squirrel” Craft, 24, of Wileyville, W.Va., said he was driving a group of friends and relatives on their way to shop at the Washington Crown Center mall when they stopped at Wendy’s fast food restaurant on West Chestnut Street for supper. Craft said he met a female acquaintance and offered to give her a ride to the nearby Red Roof Inn in Canton Township when she stole his wallet.

“I recognized the girl, so I gave her a ride up here to get something,” Craft said. “Then I noticed my wallet was missing.”

Craft said he didn’t know the woman’s name but had recognized her from attending parties near Washington & Jefferson College. He described her as being about 5 feet 8 inches tall and blonde.

When he noticed his wallet was gone, Craft chased the woman through a staircase and corridor in the motel before she jumped into a black Jeep SUV driven by an unknown male. As Craft tried to stop the pair, the vehicle struck him.

“The front passenger side caught my side and my hand and threw me down,” Craft said.

State police were looking for a black Jeep with a damaged side mirror, but no arrest had been made Thursday night. According to a state police report, the incident happened about 4 p.m. Craft was listed as suffering superficial injuries, but he said he believed he had broken his thumb.

Craft, who works in construction, said his wallet contained about $1,000 in cash, a credit card, a debit card and identification.

He believed he was caught in a planned heist.

“I think it was a racket,” Craft said. “How else do you explain the Jeep waiting for her?”

Craft said he would think twice about giving strangers a ride in the future.

“It’s just terrible,” Craft said. “You try to help someone and you get robbed.”