Morgan County police responded to two serious vehicle related incidents in Berkeley Springs last week – one involving a fleeing vehicle on Winchester Grade Road and one involving a dump truck on Coolfont Road.
On Saturday December 12 at about 5:40 pm, Corporal Luke Shambaugh and Patrolman Ray from Berkeley Springs Police Department were running traffic control in the 3800 block of Winchester Grade Road when they observed a Mazda with Pennsylvania registration traveling south at 65 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour zone.
Shambaugh attempted to stop the driver of the vehicle when he accelerated the vehicle and began to flee.
The vehicle accelerated to 80 miles per hour and ran several vehicles off the road fleeing police. The suspect turned onto Sticky Kline Road, struck a rock while running through a yard.
The driver got out of the car and fled.
Shambaugh was directed by a citizen to the vehicle, which was down an embankment. The driver fled into the woods and was later located and arrested.
The accused told officers he was fleeing because his license was suspended and he had outstanding arrest warrants. Two other people were in the car.
Arrested was Timothy Shatzer, 42, from Clear Spring, Maryland.
He was charged with felony fleeing and eluding.
Multiple misdemeanor charges will be forthcoming.
There were no injuries and damage only to suspect’s car.
On Friday December 11, 2020, at about 3:15 pm Sgt. Lemon responded to a report of a dump truck crashed in the 3200 block of Cacapon Road.
Darl L. Younker, 76, of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, the driver, of a dump truck registered to P&W Excavating Inc of Hagerstown, Maryland, was returning from dropping a load of pavement to the construction zone on West Virginia 9 west of Great Cacapon when he appears to have experienced a medical emergency while negotiating a left-hand curve.
The dump truck crossed the center line and ran off the left roadway edge straight through the guardrail face and over the embankment.
Younker was transported by EMS to Winchester Medical Center.