Andy Sheriff, 45, of DeGraff, was cited for failure to maintain assured clear distance ahead and failure to stop after an accident following a hit-and-run collision that occurred shortly before 6 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 15, at the intersection of Gunntown Road and south Main Street.
According to officers of the Bellefontaine Police Department, the accident involved three vehicles. Tyler Cable, 26, of Bellefontaine, was driving a 2004 Honda Civic that was rear-ended by Sheriff’s maroon Chevrolet truck. The collision pushed Cable’s Civic into a 2016 Ford Transit van, operated by Jason Wren, 45, of Cable. Wren’s van was carrying several passengers, including children, at the time of the crash.
Following the collision, the Chevrolet truck fled the scene. Officers located the truck in a nearby McDonald’s parking lot shortly thereafter. The truck displayed considerable front-end damage and appeared to have been parked quickly, officers reported.
Sheriff, who was found at the McDonald’s, claimed that the damage to his truck occurred the previous night when he hit a fire hydrant. He claimed that he had stopped before making contact with the vehicles in front of him and had stopped at the McDonald’s to use the restroom before heading to his shift at Waffle House.
Local businesses in the vicinity were reviewed for surveillance footage, but no cameras captured the incident. The police report noted that Sheriff appeared visibly nervous during the investigation.