POLICE: Hazleton man, on probation, tried to stop firefighter from reporting crash, fled
BRANDONVILLE – A Hazleton man is facing charges after East Union Township Police say he crashed his car, tried to stop a volunteer firefighter from reporting the crash, and fled the scene.
Lisandro Custodio Jimenez, 21, of 736 North Wyoming Street, was charged Monday by East Union Township Police Sgt. Christopher Dimmick with misdemeanor simple assault, accidents involving injury, and summary harassment, among other charges.
According to the criminal complaint filed in Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker’s Shenandoah courtroom, Dimmick was dispatched to the 400 block of Main Boulevard for a vehicle accident around 5pm Sunday.
There, a black Suzuki sedan had crashed and Dimmick made contact with the 911 caller, a Sheppton-Oneida volunteer firefighter.
The firefighter said as he called 911 and went to check on the vehicle’s occupants. The driver of the vehicle, identified as Custodio Jimenez, then told the firefighter not to call 911 “because he was on probation and couldn’t get in trouble.”
At that point, Dimmick said, Custodio Jimenez tried to take the phone off the firefighter, who then pulled away and escaped.
Custodio Jimenez was then picked up by a dark SUV and travelled south towards Shenandoah.
The vehicle was registered to Belkis Rosario, who the firefighter did not identify as the driver when showed their photo. Dimmick told the court that he found court documents belonging to Custodio Jimenez and the firefighter did identify him as the driver.
The Suzuki was then impounded by Steve’s Towing, Shenandoah.
About an hour after the crash, Dimmick was notified that two women had stopped by the Shenandoah police station to report the crash. They were directed to call Dimmick.
One of the women claimed to be the driver, claiming Custodio Jimenez was the passenger.
She and Custodio Jimenez then visited the East Union Township police station and the woman said she had injured her right shoulder in the crash but declined EMS treatment.
A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 26 in Shenandoah.
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