Leetonia school locked down after shooting over utility dispute

LEETONIA

Police have issued an arrest warrant for a village man who they said became irate over a utility shutoff and fired a shot at his son’s van, shattering its driver’s side window, before his son drove off in the van.

The bullet did not hit his son.

The felonious assault warrant is for Douglas Illig Sr., 49, of Walnut Street, who fled in his pickup truck after the 1 p.m. Wednesday incident and is still at large, said John Soldano, village police chief.

Police in Raccoon Township, Beaver County, Pa., later spotted Illig and pursued him, but lost him, Soldano said. Some members of Illig’s family are buried in a cemetery in that township, Soldano said.

Leetonia police were on the scene as Columbia Gas workers were preparing to shut off Illig’s gas, Soldano said.

Illig’s son, who was in the house visiting his father, tried to calm his father, but his father bit him on his hand before he fled in the van, Soldano said.

Village police took the .22-caliber handgun, from which the shot was fired, as evidence, Soldano said.

The Leetonia K-12 school was locked down as a precaution, the chief said.

Illig had become belligerent toward Ohio Edison workers, who had come to his house two to three weeks ago to shut off his electricity, but they did not actually shut it off because Illig’s wife submitted a payment, Soldano said.