Woman pointing firearm arrested at Willshire gas station
Jun. 22—WILLSHIRE — A Fort Wayne woman was taken into custody Monday in Willshire after allegedly walking around a gas station with a gun and pointing it at customers.
Van Wert County Sheriff Thomas Riggenbach reported his office received a call at approximately 10:35 a.m. Monday from the RoadDog Convenience Store in Willshire. The caller advised a woman had been at the gas pumps for more than an hour and acted as if she was trying to read credit card numbers from other customers. Riggenbach said a second call was received by his office about this woman, with the caller stating the woman pointed a gun in his back.
When deputies arrived, they located the female walking around outside near the gas pumps, where her car was located. Deputies took the woman into custody without incident.
She was identified as Valerie R. Hardiek, 22, of Fort Wayne. Hardiek was charged with felonious assault, a felony of the second degree, and aggravated menacing, a first-degree misdemeanor. She was transported to the Van Wert County jail, where she is being held pending arraignment in Van Wert Municipal Court. Riggenbach said the incident remains under investigation.
The Van Wert County Sheriff's Office was assisted at the scene by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
