MARIENVILLE, Pa. (EYT) — A Marienville woman is facing felony insurance fraud after she allegedly wrecked her vehicle and then reported it stolen.
According to court documents, the Marienville-based State Police filed the following criminal charges against 41-year-old Kelly Szlachetka on December 12:
- False/Fraudulent/Incomplete Insurance Claim, Felony 3
- False Reports — Reported Offense Did Not Occur, Misdemeanor 3
According to a criminal complaint, around 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, December 5, Kelly Szlachetka reported to the Marienville-based State Police that her vehicle was stolen.
Szlachetka reported that she had been out drinking on the previous night and did not recall the exact series of events from that night. She said that she recalled arriving home from a known local bar around 1:30 a.m. on December 5, and then woke up at 12:30 p.m. and noticed her car was not outside her residence, according to the complaint.
According to the complaint, two known individuals who were at the local bar on December 4 were interviewed. Both individuals related that Szlachetka told patrons at the bar that she had wrecked her vehicle earlier and was going to report it stolen the following day. It was also learned that Szlachetka had asked bar patrons to “take the fall” for crashing her vehicle.
The complaint states that Szlachetka reported her vehicle stolen to her insurance company on December 5.
According to the complaint, upon further investigation, it was found that the vehicle had been involved in a hit and run crash around 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 4, in the area of the intersection of State Route 28 and Jefferson Road in Clover Township, Jefferson County.
Trooper Suprano, of the Punxsutawney-based State Police, investigated the crash.
Around 11:53 a.m. on Monday, December 10, Trooper Suprano was able to obtain video surveillance from a nearby business on Harrison Street in Summerville.
According to the complaint, the video footage showed Szlachetka at the business with an unknown white male.
The complaint notes that according to witnesses, Szlachetka was attempting to either obtain a ride home or obtain assistance in removing her vehicle from a guide rail after being involved in a crash.
Szlachetka was then allegedly successful in obtaining a ride and left in an unknown direction.
Based on the investigation, Szlachetka was arraigned at 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday, December 12, in Magisterial District Judge Daniel L. Miller’s office.
Unable to post $2,500.00 monetary bail, she was lodged in the Warren County Jail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 18, with Judge Miller presiding.
