Gulfport police release name of Ohio man wanted in attack on MSNBC reporter after Ida
The public helped locate the Ohio man accused of assaulting an NBC and MSNBC correspondent shooting a live segment from the beach in Gulfport during Hurricane Ida.
An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for Benjamin Eugene Dagley, 54, of Wooster, Ohio, on charges of two counts of simple assault, one count of disturbing the peace and one count of violating emergency curfew. In a previous criminal case in Ohio, Dagley was put on five years’ probation in 2018 and ordered to complete an anger-management program, the Cuyahoga County court docket shows.
Early Monday afternoon, the Gulfport Police Department responded to a complaint that news correspondent Shaquille Brewster was assaulted by a white man who could be seen on camera pulling off U.S. 90, jumping from a white Ford -150 pickup, and running down the beach to yell at the Black reporter.
Brewster moved away from the man, but the video feed showed the man followed and got near Brewster’s face.
Video of the assault was widely shared on social media and reported by national news outlets. The confrontation also unfolded on NBC news before Brewster calmly cut his live feed short and returned to host Craig Melvin in the studio, who later reported Brewster was not injured.
Reviewing Dagley’s criminal history, the news release says, Gulfport police contacted the Cuyahoga County Adult Probation Department regarding a potential violation of probation. Dagley is on probation for a previous charge that was not specified in the news release. Probation is supposed to restrict his travel.
Dagley is believed to be driving in the 2016 Ford F-150 pickup with Ohio license plate PJR1745.
Anyone who spots him should contact their local law enforcement agency, the news release advises.
Previous charges against Ohio man
In August 2017, cleveland.com reported that Dagley was accused of breaking into an electroplating company that replaced one he previously owned, where he drilled holes into tanks that held dangerous chemicals.
The website said one employee went to the hospital after being exposed. Police called the incident a “potential environmental disaster,” the website reported, based on a Cleveland police report.
“Surveillance footage later revealed Dagley drilled into tanks of sodium cyanide, hydrochloric acid, yellow chromate, ferrous chloride, and sulfuric acid, according to a current owner, Ed Cochran,” the website reported.
Cleveland Plating owner Cochran was quoted as saying: “If you mix the (cyanide and hydrochloric acid), you basically have the cyanide gas of World War I. It certainly would produce a toxic vapor that could kill.”
While Dagley was no longer an owner of the business, he was involved in a financial dispute involving the property, which he did still own, cleveland.com reported.
According to the Cuyahoga County court docket, Dagley was indicted on nine charges, including felonious assault, inducing panic, vandalism, breaking and entering, and charges involving criminal use of chemical or biological materials.
He pleaded guilty to one charge each of attempted felonious assault, inducing panic and vandalism in 2018, the court docket says. In July 2018, Dagley was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years on probation. He also was ordered to complete an anger-management program.
Violation of his probation could result in more jail time, according to the court docket.
The docket also shows that a warrant has been issued against Dagley in Ohio for leaving the state without permission.
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 3:53 PM.
