By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


A forensic exam has been ordered for a Livingston County man charged with throwing a sandbag onto a woman’s car as she drove on I-96.

41-year-old David Vincent Garcia of Brighton is charged with a felony count of throwing objects at trains/cars causing serious impairment following an incident last year in Lyon Township. In Oakland County Circuit Court Thursday, a defense motion that he undergo a criminal responsibility exam was granted, with an April 29th date re-set for a pre-trial hearing.

Garcia was charged after police say he threw several sandbags off of the Old Plank Road overpass over westbound I-96 on October 4th, seriously injuring Cindy Eckley of Livonia, who earlier testified that she suffered serious facial and eyes injuries when one of those sandbags came crashing through her windshield.

Michigan State Police say the incident followed Garcia crashing his truck at that location and then walking up onto the overpass and heaving 40-pound sandbags onto the freeway below. Garcia was then picked up by a passerby who drove him to his home in Brighton. During the drive, troopers say Garcia told the passerby what had happened. That driver then contacted State Police and gave them Garcia’s address.

State Police says Garcia’s shoes matched footprints found in the sand at the crime scene. If convicted, Garcia faces up to ten years in prison.