CRIMINAL COMPLAINT AGAINST 41 YEAR-OLD STATE EMPLOYEE WITH NO CRIMINAL RECORD FOR LEAVING THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT WHILE CAUSING PROPERTY DAMAGE WILL BE DISMISSED OUTRIGHT IN ONE-YEAR SO LONG AS THE CLIENT STAYS OUT OF TROUBLE.

The Client was a 41-year-old state employee of Massachusetts who worked for the Department of Transportation and the Department of Children and Families and she had no criminal record. The Police Report states: A civilian witness reported that he was stopped in bumper-to-bumper traffic in Whitman when he was rear-ended by another vehicle. After the accident, the witness attempted to exchange information with the other driver, the Defendant, who refused to provide any information and then fled the scene in her vehicle. The other driver took a picture of the Defendant’s license plate and reported it to police. Police went to the Defendant’s home and observed damage to her vehicle. Defendant admitted that she was the driver and that she was in an accident. She stated that she thought she had exchanged her information but didn’t think the accident was her fault. The officer told her that she was the cause of the accident because she was following the other vehicle too closely. The Defendant became agitated and told the officer to leave her property.

Result: At the Clerk Magistrate Hearing, Attorney Gerald J. Noonan presented written statements of two witnesses, who were passengers in the Defendant’s vehicle at the time of this incident. Witness #1 stated that the other driver jumped out of his car and shoved the witness. The other driver became confrontational as Witness #1 took photos of the other driver’s vehicle, which did not appear to have any real damage. The other driver stated that he was going to call the police. The defendant and her party remained at the scene but the police never arrived so they left. Witness #2 confirmed that the other jumped out of his car and shoved Witness #1. Witness #2 stated that they waited at the scene for 30 minutes but the police never came. Witness #2 was recovering from recent heart surgery and requested that the Defendant take her home because she was shaken up by the event and wasn’t feeling well. The Defendant is a 41 year-old state employee who worked for the Mass. Department of Transportation and the Department of Children and Families. She had no criminal record. The issuance of the criminal complaint would have affected the Defendant’s employment with the State. After hearing, the Clerk-Magistrate decided to keep the criminal charge of Leaving the Scene of Property Damage open for one-year to be dismissed after that time so long as the Defendant stays out of trouble. The Defendant was ordered to pay $80 in fines.