Charges have been laid in a hit and run in Annaheim last fall.
A 20-year-old Middle Lake man is facing two charges - failing to remain at the scene of an accident and mischief over $5,000 under the Canadian Criminal Code - in relation to an incident which occurred in October last year, when a vehicle slammed into the Doepker Industries building in Annaheim.
On October 24, 2010 Humboldt police received a complaint from Doepker Industries in Annaheim advising that someone had struck their office building with a vehicle sometime overnight, reported Const. Trevor Sowers of the Humboldt RCMP.
A large amount of both interior and exterior damage to the building, including possible structure damage, was noted by officers at the scene. It appeared as though the vehicle had hit the building at a high rate of speed.
"The driver fled the scene and never did report the incident," Sowers noted. Damage was initially estimated to be near $10,000.
A lengthy five-month investigation followed until RCMP were able to arrest a suspect and lay charges against this man from Middle Lake. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Humboldt on June 6. Until then, his name cannot be released.
RCMP Cpl. Randy Wittig noted that had the individual responsible for hitting the building come forward and reported the crash when it occurred, it likely would have resulted in a small fine. Damages to the building would have been paid by the driver's insurance, minus the deductible.
By leaving the scene of a collision, a driver risks not only a larger fine but also a criminal record instead of simply having points added to his or her licence.
It is always best, Wittig advised, to deal with a collision right away, to report it and go through your insurance company rather than run away and risk it going through the courts.
