hit and run

[kgmoore]

What is the name of your state? GA

I have a friend that loaned his car out. my friend 'y' received a letter stating that the vehicle was involved in a hit and run accident. now y's friend states that he was out of town and can provide proof of it. according to y's friend he was out of town and the vehicle was parked at the airport. the investigator wants to see y and her friend down at the station along with the proof that neither was involved in the accident. but y's friend doesn't think that that is necessary and thinks that only faxing proof is enough. now...y's friend is out of town and his business is usually done at the last minute which makes it impossible to plan anything with him. my questions are as follows...how long does the investigator have before taking further action? and if the investigator takes further action what can and will those actions be? what can and will happen if the investigator cannot solve the case? what will happen to y? the said event took place in a bank parking lot in the middle of june. are there cameras usually in place around banks? y's friend doesn't want the investigator to know his information (something about racial profiling). any information that i can pass along to 'y' will be greatly appreciated. thank you.

[dkpd73]

The statute of limitations on misdemeanors is four years, so the investigator has until 2009 to file formal charges.

The investigator can file state charges in violation of Georgia code section 40-6-270, with a maximum fine of $1000 and a year in jail, against your friend. License suspensions are almost always handed out in hit and run cases. Your friend will face the cost of defending 'y'self from the charges, and the penalty if convicted. In addition, it is not inconceivable that misdemeanor obstruction of officer charges could be filed for actively hindering the investigation.

If the investigator cannot prove the case in court, he can still make the charges and require 'y' to show up, risking bench warrants and license suspensions for failure to appear if 'y' is just too busy to be bothered.

I don't know about the bank cameras, but from my experience the investigator has more than enough information to make charges if he has contacted 'y' and 'y' has given him the runaround. Again, in my experience, the more runaround one gives an leo, the more likely bad things will happen. If your friend has proof, why not just take the hour and meet with the investigator to clear it up? It is in 'y''s best interest to do everything 'y' can to alleviate the investigator's suspicions.

'y', oh 'y', are we not getting the whole story?