A St. Paul motorist rammed into a vehicle occupied by six people, including his ex-girlfriend and three young children, causing it to spin out and crash, according to charges filed Wednesday.
Nathan T. Vessenmeyer, 31, was charged in Ramsey County District Court with first-degree criminal damage to property and six counts of second-degree assault. An arrest warrant has been issued in connection with the hit-and-run.
According to the complaint: Vessenmeyer and his ex-girlfriend separately patronized the same gas station about 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 30. Vessenmeyer drove a white truck and his ex-girlfriend was a passenger in a red Chevy Blazer. The ex-girlfriend was with a man, a woman and three children 6 years old or younger, including her 5-year-old daughter. Vessenmeyer and his ex-girlfriend have a son, who was not in the Blazer.
The woman went to greet Vessenmeyer when her group stopped at the gas station to buy treats for the children. He yelled at her, and she returned to the Blazer.
As the two vehicles left, Vessenmeyer "drove at their vehicle and nearly hit them head-on."
"Vessenmeyer shook a fistful of money at [the woman] and tried to taunt her, yelling that he was going to spend all that money on his new girlfriend," the charges said.
Vessenmeyer allegedly pursued the Blazer on McKnight Road just north of Lower Afton Road in Maplewood. He drove next to the Blazer and executed a "pit move," ramming it and causing it to spin out in a circular motion. It then hit a snowbank and collided with a steel cable attached to a utility pole, the charges allege.
The Blazer's other female passenger reported neck and back pain. No other injuries were reported in the criminal complaint.
