Image courtesy of Whitemarsh PD
Whitemarsh Township Police were lending a helping hand to neighboring Plymouth Township when tracking the driver that caused an accident, but failed to stop, at a busy intersection in December.
Plymouth Township Police were dispatched to the area of a hit-and-run accident in the area of Germantown Pike and Butler Pike on Dec. 8 around 4:37 p.m. The county dispatch, at the same time, gave the description of a gold Infinity with Pennsylvania tags, which had been attempting to make a right turn from Germantown Pike onto Butler Pike, said the police criminal complaint. At that time, the Infinity struck another vehicle, which was in the left-turn lane on Butler, police said.
The complaint stated that the Infinity’s driver continued south on Butler Pike, without stopping. A video recognition system clocked the car in the area of 11th Avenue and Fayette Street in the area, later hitting at Hector Street and North Lane, heading eastbound, police said. A Whitemarsh Township Police officer on patrol saw the vehicle matching the description illegally parked in a lot at 101 Barren Hill Road within Whitemarsh Township, according to the complaint.
Police said that they noticed the vehicle was still occupied and approached it as “the driver just lit a cigarette and was drinking a soda.” Though the vehicle was in “park,” it was still running, police said. Police reported that the occupant’s “eyes were barely open” and that he “appeared to be under the influence.
The only occupant of the vehicle was one man, Michael John Thomas, 41, of the 500 block of Swedesford Road in Frazer, police said. The driver provided his license to police for identification. Police said that, as he was removed from the car, he was “extremely unsteady on his feet and barely keeping his eyes open.”
According to the criminal complaint, the police said that Thomas agreed to field sobriety tests which further made them suspect he was under the influence. Thomas was transported for a blood draw by Whitemarsh Community Ambulance Association, after which he was placed under arrest, police said.
The victims of the hit-and-run crash were able to identify the vehicle, police said. On Jan. 14, police received the test results back from Thomas’ blood sample, and concluded that he had traces of THC, benzoylecgonine, cocaine, and fentanyl, said the complaint.
Thomas is charged with driving under the influence (DUI) of a controlled substance with impaired ability, DUI of a controlled substance schedule two or three, accident involvement with damage to an attended vehicle, and failure to report an accident to police.
Thomas is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 29 at 11:30 a.m. before Magisterial District Judge Dara Nasatir.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
