JERSEY SHORE - A man and woman face charges after allegedly crashing a stolen truck into a cement wall, and then falsifying information about the accident when speaking with authorities.
Danielle M. Ward, 24, of 550 High St., faces charges of providing unsworn falsification of information to authorities, and possession of a small amount of marijuana.
David H. Rishel, 34, of 316 State St., Antes Fort, faces charges of unauthorized use of an automobile, failure to immediately give notification of an accident to police, driving with a suspended license and damaging an unattended vehicle.
On April 22, Tiadaghton Valley Regional police responded to a motor vehicle accident at 799 Railroad St.
Upon arriving at the scene, they found a Ford F-150 that had struck a cement wall, disabled and sitting off the side of the road. Witnesses at the scene informed police that the two occupants of the vehicle had fled earlier, police said.
A short time later, Ward arrived and told police she had been driving when the accident occurred. She provided a written statement, according to court records.
On April 23, authorities found a small amount of marijuana in the cup holder of the truck.
On April 24, Ward returned to the police station. She provided police with a new written statement, saying that her boyfriend, Rishel, was driving during the accident and that the small amount of marijuana belonged to her, according to court records.
On May 7, Rishel also provided a written statement to police explaining that he had been driving when the crash occurred. He also admitted that his license was suspended from a previous DUI charge, according to police.
According to court records, the owner of the vehicle had not given Rishel permission to drive her truck, because his license was suspended. Rishel also allegedly failed to inform the vehicle's owner about the accident even though it had "left her vehicle damaged to the point it needed to be towed from the scene," according to police.
The pair waived their preliminary hearings.
They will face a court arraignment at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 13.
