Man just out of prison suspect in strangling at Norwalk motel
Runs from scene, steals car then crashes and flees again
NORWALK — A man recently released from prison after serving 10 years for involuntary manslaughter was arrested Saturday after allegedly abducting and strangling a motel employee inside a room at the Econo Lodge on Milan Avenue, police said.
Eric Lee Carroll, 33, of Norwalk, was taken into custody after a manager called 911 to report an assault around 3:21 p.m., according to police. The manager said an employee told him what happened, then ran from the office. Guests at the motel told the manager they saw a man running from the same guest room moments after hearing screams.
“A short time later, the female flees the room in one direction while the man flees in the other,” Norwalk Police Chief Scott Dahlgren said in a news release. Surveillance footage from the motel confirmed the manager’s and guests’ accounts, Dahlgren said.
Huron County sheriff’s deputies and State Highway Patrol troopers later responded to a rollover crash about four hours later near 1980 U.S. 250. Witnesses reported seeing the driver flee the scene. Police found Carroll hiding inside a nearby barn and took him into custody. He was wearing the same clothing seen in the surveillance video, according to the release.
Carroll is charged with abduction, strangulation, and theft of a motor vehicle. “There is an active investigation and additional charges are pending,” the release states.