Charges: Friend filed false stolen vehicle report to 'protect' suspected driver in Edina hit-and-run
Authorities investigate a hit-and-run crash at a school bus stop in Edina. (FOX 9)
EDINA, Minn. (FOX 9) - Recently filed charges demonstrate a clearer picture of how Edina police tracked down the suspected driver of a hit-and-run crash that injured an Edina High School student at a school bus stop last month.
Carlton Duke Troutman, 26, of Flint, Michigan has been charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. He was arrested Thursday and is in custody in at the Eaton County Jail in Michigan.
On January 23, 17-year-old Kyla Avant was about to board her school bus when a vehicle passed the bus and struck her. According to the charges, the force of the crash threw her about 50 feet. Luckily, Avant was not seriously injured. At the time of the crash, the bus was fully stopped and had its stop arm extended.
The investigators learned around 8 a.m. that morning Troutman, along with two passengers, had taken his friend's car, the charges state. The passengers later told police Troutman started driving aggressively, did not attempt to avoid hitting the teen and then drove off after the crash. In their interviews, they each said Troutman threatened them to not tell police.
After the hit-and-run, one of the passengers told the owner of the vehicle what happened, the charges state. In an attempt to "protect" Troutman, the vehicle owner filed a false stolen vehicle report with the Minneapolis Police Department. Minneapolis police helped him recover his "stolen" vehicle, which he then drove to Mankato.
Investigators, however, ulimately linked the vehicle to the hit-and-run crash due to eyewitness accounts. When it was recovered in Mankato, police confirmed marks on the front of the car were consistent with hitting the teen.
Troutman later reached out to Edina police and admitted to being in the vehicle that morning, but claimed he could not remember the crash, according to the complaint.
Troutman faces up to seven years behind bars and a $14,000 fine.