Cellphone calls from ‘mom’ lead police to suspect who fled car crash

A young Shuswap man was issued several tickets for causing, then abandoning, a car crash last month.

Helping police figure out the blame was a cellphone that the suspect forgot in the damaged Jeep Compass.

Also playing a role: incoming calls to the cellphone from ‘Mom.’

Police say the collision happened on Jan. 31, around 10 p.m., along the Trans-Canada Highway at Shuswap Street. Reporting the incident was the driver of the other vehicle, a semi-truck.

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When RCMP arrived, the Jeep was still at the scene, with major front-end damage. Meanwhile, the semi had damage to its rear axle and fuel tank.

The semi driver told police the driver of the Jeep and two occupants fled the scene.

After investigating, which included nearby surveillance footage, police determined that the Jeep ran a red light and hit the westbound semi.

“About 30 minutes after the collision, the mother of the registered owner of the Jeep reported the vehicle stolen,” Salmon Arm RCMP said.

According to the mother, the Jeep had been parked outside her residence and then was suddenly gone.

“She also stated she had called her son on his cellphone and he didn’t know where the vehicle was,” Salmon Arm RCMP said.

“Police advised that was unlikely as his phone was still in the vehicle and police were observing phone calls coming from mom.”

RCMP say the mother “came clean about her lie and was cautioned for criminal public mischief.”

She told police that her 22-year-old son was driving and crashed. He was OK, but said she did not know where he was.

RCMP say the driver was located the next day and was served violation tickets for failing to remain at the scene of an accident, failing to obey a red light at an intersection, failing to display N and driving contrary to a restriction.