Driver Flees Scene Of Accident, Gets Passenger Arrested In Solon

SOLON, OH — A driver called police a little before 7 p.m. last Tuesday, saying they had been in a car accident. The driver said the car that had hit them had sped off. Police immediately began searching the area for the fleeing vehicle.

The collision happened on the US 422 exit ramp at Harper Road, giving officers a starting point for their search. The car was eventually spotted by an officer near Solon Road and Hawthorne Parkway.

The officer stopped the car and saw two people inside the vehicle. When he approached the driver, he could smell a pungent odor of marijuana, police said.

Hanging off the car keys in the ignition was a photo ID that depicted the passenger, not the driver. Police spoke to witnesses and determined the driver and passenger had switched places before Solon Police stopped their vehicle.

The driver, at the time of the stop, was arrested for operating a vehicle impaired and taken to Solon Jail. He took a breath test and blew a .001. He also provided a urine sample which will be tested by the Ohio State Highway Patrol lab. He is also being charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

The driver at the time of the accident, a 24-year-old from Cleveland, was charged with driving with a suspended license, hit skip and assured clear distance, police said.

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