WAPAKONETA – The Ohio State Highway Patrol charged an Indiana truck driver with inducing panic after an early morning incident in which the driver placed a knife to his throat after he was stopped for a traffic violation.

Troopers charged Ricky Eugene Gunter, 47, of Camden, Ind., with inducing panic, a first-degree misdemeanor.

At 6:15 this morning, a Patrol Motor Carrier Enforcement Officer stopped a truck for a lighting violation on westbound US Route 33, west of State Route 66 in Auglaize County.

A license check of the driver, Gunter, revealed a felony warrant out of the Lafayette Police Department for failure to appear on two counts of child molestation.

Gunter locked himself in his truck and placed a knife to his throat.

Officers, including a negotiator, from the St. Marys Police Department and troopers from the Patrol's Wapakoneta Post responded to the scene.

At 7:28 a.m., Gunter willingly surrendered to officers and was taken into custody for the outstanding warrant. Gunter informed the negotiator that he overdosed on heart medication. He was transported to St. Marys Hospital for observation.

US Route 33 was closed from 6:42 a.m. to 7:46 a.m. and is now reopened for vehicular traffic.

If convicted on the misdemeanor charge, Gunter could face six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

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