With investigation ongoing, search warrant offers new details about fatal Penns Valley hit-and-run
The driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run crash in April said in an interview with police that he believed he struck a deer in Penn Township the night a 23-year-old man was killed.
Officers were dispatched about 9 p.m. April 17 to the area of Penns Valley and Paradise roads. State police at Rockview found John David King, 23, along state Route 45.
King, who was riding a non-motorized scooter at the time of the crash, died of blunt force trauma, Chief Deputy Coroner Judy Pleskonko said. The Amish man’s death was ruled accidental.
The driver continued traveling westbound, leaving officers to ask for the public’s help to locate the Honda Pilot believed to be involved in the crash.
But police learned of the vehicle’s whereabouts after the driver — who has not been charged — called his lawyer and told him he was involved in a crash. The man’s lawyer relayed that to Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna, who then shared that information with police.
The vehicle, which had paint “consistent with that from the victim’s scooter” on its underside, was found April 21 in State College, according to a search warrant for the suspect’s cellphone records that became publicly available Thursday.
The driver was interviewed two days later and told police he was fishing in the areas of Elk Creek and Pine Creek until the evening of the crash, according to the warrant.
He was traveling westbound along state Route 45 to return home when he struck an object and observed the vehicle’s hood buckle. The car’s windshield “smashed due to the impact,” according to the warrant.
The driver told police he did not stop “because he believed his tire might deflate,” police wrote. He also told police he learned of King’s death from a news report, but did not believe he was involved due to inconsistencies in the reported time of the crash.
Cantorna and state police at Rockview each declined to comment Thursday, though police confirmed the investigation is ongoing.