Daycare Sign Exploded By Drunk Driver In Avon Lake

AVON LAKE, OH — Eric Baker, the owner of the Avon Lake Goddard School, got an early morning text from one of his coworkers on Sunday, the type of text you never expect to get. "Someone hit your sign," the text read.

Shortly after that text, Avon Lake Police, along with friends driving by the scene, started reaching out to Baker. They wanted to let him know that someone had apparently driven their car through his sign, which was located on the landscape of the business.

"I went out to see and the sign was gone. The brick foundation that it rested on was wiped out," Baker told Patch. "He took the flag pole out too."

The Goddard School, a preschool daycare, is open Monday through Friday. Parents are usually dropping kids off by 8:20 a.m. Baker said one of his scariest thoughts after seeing the scene was 'what if this had happened on Monday?'

"It's scary from that perspective," he said.

The suspect that was driving the car was arrested by police the same day. After hitting the sign, he reportedly rolled to a stop in the Goddard parking lot. Baker, who saw surveillance footage of the incident later, said the man then hopped out of the car and started walking away, "like he was just on a Sunday stroll." He was caught near Avon Belden Road, according to police records obtained by Patch.

"I'm thankful no one was hurt. The guy is lucky he didn't die. Hopefully he doesn't drive again for a long time, Baker said.

Photos from Eric Baker