GAYLORD -- Authorities arrested and charged a Mancelona man who allegedly pursued a female motorist down Mancelona Road and repeatedly rammed his truck into the back of her vehicle.
Police caught up with Robert Allen Buning, 25, in a stolen vehicle that he apparently hoped to use to dislodge his truck from a snowbank.
Buning was arraigned Tuesday in 87th District Court on charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and vehicle theft. The incident occurred early Tuesday along a stretch of Mancelona Road where Otsego and Antrim counties meet.
"At one o'clock in the morning, she was driving down the road and somebody started ramming into the back of her four or five times," said Sgt. Denny Reynolds, of the Michigan State Police post in Gaylord.
Buning's driver's license currently is suspended for unpaid fines, said Fred Woodhams, spokesman for the Michigan Secretary of State.
The 36-year-old female victim from Johannesburg called police from a mobile phone while driving east and went directly to the police post in Gaylord, while state troopers and deputies from Antrim County responded.
The woman was uninjured but "tremendously frightened," plus her car was damaged, Reynolds said.
Meanwhile, another 911 call came into Antrim County officials and reported a truck stolen from a nearby residence. Authorities found the stolen truck and Buning on a two-track trail just off Mancelona Road, near Mount Frederick Road.
Buning allegedly stole the truck to use in an attempt to dislodge his own vehicle from a snow bank, Reynolds said.
Police arrested Buning, recovered the stolen truck and believe they have the vehicle used in the alleged ramming incident. That truck is registered to Buning, who currently is held at Otsego County Jail on a $2,000 bond.
Reynolds said Buning is not answering questions and police don't know why he chased and rammed the woman. They also cannot confirm any connection between Buning and the victim, who said she could not identify him from photographs.
Court-appointed attorney Robert Mendham Jr., of Petoskey, will represent Buning, who will be back in court Thursday for a pretrial hearing, court officials said.
Buning's driving record includes about a dozen citations across northern Lower Michigan, Woodhams said.
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