ELYRIA — An Elyria police officer had to go to the hospital after he was bitten by a dog Sunday.

According to a police report, officer Mark Mitchell was called to 530 Skylark Court about 3:40 Sunday afternoon after a resident found a dog.

Mitchell found the small white Chihuahua chained to a tree in the backyard.

Mitchell placed the dog in his patrol car, but it became nervous and attempted to escape, according to the report.

“When the officer grabbed a hold of the dog, it viciously attacked the officer’s index finger, breaking the skin, causing it to bleed,” the report said.

Mitchell was able to regain control of the dog and take it to the Police Department.

Mitchell was treated and released at EMH Regional Medical Center, and the dog was taken to the county dog pound to be quarantined.

ELYRIA — An Elyria man was arrested and sent to the hospital for a mental evaluation after he fled police who were responding to a complaint about him.

Herbert L. Johnson, 55, was charged with obstructing official business before being sent to EMH Regional Medical Center.

Officers were called to 327 Broad St. about 9:30 Sunday morning after receiving a report of a man standing in the road with his pants down. Officers found Johnson, but did not find him to have his pants down, according to a police report.

Johnson was instructed to move out of the street, and officers moved on, the report said.

Officers met up with Johnson again at Broad Street and Kerstetter Way and found him to be talking irrationally to himself, the report said. Johnson refused to tell officers his name, stating only that he did not want to go to jail.

Police told Johnson they only wanted to talk to him about his actions, but he took off running, the report said.

As an officer followed Johnson in his cruiser, Johnson lost his balanced and fell face-first onto the concrete walkway, the report said.

Officers reported that Johnson was babbling incoherently and was wet and smelled like urine. When they asked him about the smell, he replied that he “smelled like the scum of Elyria,” according to the report.

Johnson also mentioned that he was upset about his rock that he lost because he did not get an opportunity to name it, the report said.

SHEFFIELD TWP. — An all-terrain vehicle rider was injured when he struck a tree stump around 6:25 p.m. Monday.

Teddy Barker, 27 or 28, was injured outside his family’s home in the 5300 block of Fleming Avenue by the intersection of Vincent Avenue across from the Vincent Elementary School at 2303 North Ridge Road. Barker told his family that the ATV flipped over on top of him after colliding with the stump. Jim Phillips, Barker’s stepfather, said Barker was flown to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. He is listed in fair condition this morning.

Megan Stephens, Barker’s sister-in-law and Robin Christopher, Barker’s stepsister, said they ran to him after hearing a loud thump from the crash. Stephens said Barker complained of injuring his right leg and shoulder.

“He said it happened so fast he (didn’t) really know what happened,” Stephens said. “A boy walked over to us and said, ‘Hey, I just found your brother and I got the four-wheeler off of him, but he wrecked it.’ ”

The accident occurred just outside the fence of Phillips backyard on a strip of grass between the fence and Vincent Avenue. ATVs are illegal to ride on public property in Ohio except on land posted as permitting them or on private property unless permitted by the property owner.

Between 1982 and 2009, the latest year for which statistics are available, there were 10,281 deaths in ATV accidents nationally including 320 in Ohio, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Ohio had the 13th highest death rate in the nation.

Contact Evan Goodenow at 329-7129 or egoodenow@chroniclet.com.

The Indians opened a three-game series against the Yankees on Monday with a 6-3 win at Progressive Field.

Josh Tomlin got the win, allowing two runs on three hits over seven innings. The right-hander, who became the first MLB pitcher since 1919 to last five innings in each of his first 209 career starts, didn’t allow a hit through six innings.

Austin Kearns’ first home run of the season — a three-run shot in the seventh — put Cleveland in front 4-2.