Police say they have arrested a woman for failing to render aid after a reported hit-and-run on Saturday.
Yvonne R. Bennett, 42, was arrested Tuesday afternoon and taken to Lemon Creek Correctional Center, police said in a release.
Bennett is accused of striking a pedestrian who was crossing Glacier Highway at Jordan Avenue on Saturday evening with a sports utility vehicle and fleeing the scene, police say.
The pedestrian, whose name was not released and who was only identified as a 50-year-old woman, was taken to the hospital for “serious but non-life threatening injuries,” according to the release. She has since been released from the hospital, the release states.
Police said earlier that they located the suspect vehicle unoccupied on Teal Street about 20 minutes after the hit and run, and that it had been reported as stolen.
Police now say that an investigation revealed the vehicle was not stolen, but had been borrowed by Bennett.
Online court records indicate Bennett is charged with failing to comply with a state statute that requires the operator of a vehicle involved in an accident that resulted in injury to give information and render assistance.
That’s an unclassified felony that can be punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.
• Contact reporter Emily Russo Miller at 523-2263 or at emily.miller@juneauempire.com.
Comments (11)
Add commentSounds like those who were
Sounds like those who were bashing JPD saying this will never be solved and that the police don't know what they are doing can now go eat crow!
Kudos to JPD for pushing
Kudos to JPD for pushing through the "stolen car" claim made by the owner. Magically the "stolen car" was actually only borrowed.....
so who told JPD that the car
so who told JPD that the car was stolen when in fact it was borrowed? This to me specifically incriminates the person who lied to JPD... am I right? By definition the owner must be aware when the property is borrowed as opposed to stolen.
so busted...
It's interesting that the
It's interesting that the statute doesn't include calling the police. I thought every accident had to be reported to the police department.
Maybe that part just isn't printed...
Awesome job JPD! These are
Awesome job JPD! These are hard cases to solve.
Great job JPD
Thanks JPD. Keep up the great work!
charge the caller as well...
I agree with Cheesypoof. Hopefully there is a way to confirm who called in the stolen vehicle as they should also face charges. If the call was made by the vehicle "borrower" then pile it on.
I knew when I read the first
I knew when I read the first story that this car wasn't stolen. When I read that the person somehow called and reported it stolen right around the time the police found it, I knew it was going to turn out to be BS. Good job JPD!
@cheeesypoof
The vehicle owner was the person who reported it as stolen, according to the original information release put out by JPD (which I will post below).
When I asked the JPD spokeswoman yesterday what the relationship was between the vehicle owner and Ms. Bennett, I did not get a response.
Hope this helps, and thanks for reading,
— Emily M.
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Subject: Update - Vehicle Collision/Vehicle Theft Date: 10-17-2012 08:12:22
From: Juneau Police Department Case or Incident: #121013-008
Summary:
Update 10/17/2012 @ 8:00a
Yesterday at approximately 1:30pm, 42 year old Juneau resident Yvonne Bennett was arrested for failure to render aid after injuring someone using a motor vehicle. Bennett was lodged at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center with no bail allowed. The investigation revealed the vehicle was not stolen but had been borrowed by Bennett.
The crime is a C felony punishable by a fine of up to $50,000 dollars and five years incarceration.
The victim of the hit and run was determined to have a serious but non-life threatening injury.
*************************************************************
(Copy of initial press release)
On October 13, 2012 at about 6:25pm, the Juneau Police Department received a report of a pedestrian who had been struck while crossing Glacier Highway at Jordan Avenue. Officers and Capital City Fire & Rescue responded. Investigation revealed that a 50 year old female had been struck by what witnesses described as blue colored mid size sport utility vehicle (SUV) being driven by a female driver. The driver of the blue SUV left the area prior to the arrival of police.
About 20 minutes later, officers located the suspect vehicle parked and unoccupied on Teal Street. While Officers were examining the suspect vehicle, the vehicle’s owner contacted JPD to report the vehicle stolen from a parking lot in the 400 block Willoughby Avenue.
The injured pedestrian was transported to Bartlett Regional Hospital by ambulance and released after treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
the reporter
should report the news and not comment on her own story or interject herself into the story.
What difference does it make what the relationship is between the owner of the car and the borrower of the car? Obviously, the borrower has a relationship with the owner because the owner loaned the car. The nature of the relationship will become "known" at trial - when it's important for it to be known. Of course, inquiring minds want to know and MUST know who this person is - and right now. Kudos to JPD for not answering the question.
Hit & run
Throw the Buick at her....