Man Slashed Woman’s Tire Because He Needed Money

A strange incident happened Friday night in Newport. A woman stated she came out of Weigel’s on Cosby Highway and her car had a flat tire and a man was standing next to her car. The man asked her if she needed help changing the tire as he “liked to help women in distress”. Being wary she told him her father was coming to help her. The man then got in another vehicle and drove off. Police later found that vehicle at Lucky Pawn Shop and a man matching the suspect’s description inside the store trying to pawn items he had stolen from Weigel’s. The man was identified as 53 year old Lee Kiersey who admitted to slashing the woman’s tire because he needed money. Inside Kiersey’s vehicle was a 38 year old woman who stated that Kiersey offered to give her a ride to North Carolina, but he needed to get cash first…which is when he went and slashed the tire at Weigel’s. Kiersy was also in possession of a small amount of cocaine. He has been charged with manufacture sale or possession of schedule II narcotics, Theft, Vandalism and tampering with evidence.