Bernie Hornick
bhornick@tribdem.com
JOHNSTOWN —
A preliminary accident reconstruction report has been completed in an Aug. 1 hit-and-run on Scalp Avenue that claimed the life of a Johnstown teenager.
“The report itself is not done,” Richland Township police Chief Richard Barlett said Wednesday. “I would assume we would be filing charges.”
He said police at first needed time to sort out who was behind the wheel in the 3:40 a.m. incident that killed pedestrian Sean Grant, 19.
A man and woman were in the vehicle at the time, records show.
District Attorney Kelly Callihan confirmed Wednesday that the driver was Eddie Richards of Windber.
No telephone listing for Richards could be found.
Callihan said a search warrant was signed last week by District Judge Max Pavlovich of Richland for Richards’ cell phone records.
Richards has no criminal history in Somerset or Cambria counties, a search of Pennsylvania crime records shows.
Callihan said the court papers were not sealed:
The warrant and affidavit of probable cause were public information through the district judge’s office.
But Pavlovich was not in the office Wednesday afternoon.
Clerks there would not release the file – even on a request by Richland police – saying the office had been painted and the records were not handy.
“That’s clearly something public,” said Barry Fox, deputy director of the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records. “They should provide it right there.
“You start with a presumption of a public document
– construction is not a reason or exemption under the law,” he said. “You’re obligated to respond to the request, no matter what’s going on in your office.”
Barlett said a meeting with Callihan likely would be scheduled in September on pursuing the hit-and-run case.
“We’ll sit down with Kelly and let her review all the reports, make the decision what to do and how we want to approach it,” the chief said.
The investigation is being led by township police Officer Rick Pollino, a certified accident reconstructionist, Callihan has said.
The motorist initially drove away from the scene. He turned himself in at the Richland police station before the day was out.
Barlett said Wednesday that the media would be alerted once authorities decided what, if any, charges would be filed.
