Nov 9, 2003 By The 2 min read

State police have charged Robert W. Breakiron Jr., the son of Connellsville District Justice Robert W. Breakiron, with reporting his vehicle stolen when he actually crashed it and ran from the scene Oct. 18 in Connellsville. Breakiron Jr., 34, of Rear 99 East End Road, Connellsville, will face misdemeanor charges of unsworn falsification to authorities and false reports to law enforcement authorities.

He faces a preliminary hearing at 10 a.m. Dec. 4 before District Justice Deberah Kula.

According to state police, Breakiron called them the morning of Oct. 19 and reported that his vehicle had been stolen the night before from his garage in Bullskin Township.

Later that morning he gave a two-page statement on a pre-printed form that contains a warning about the penalties for unsworn falsification to authorities, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by police.

Before he signed the form, trooper Gregory A. Furin read Breakiron the warning about unsworn falsification.

His vehicle was involved in a hit-and-run accident the night before near 601 E. Crawford Ave., and the driver fled the scene on foot, the affidavit states.

Early that afternoon, during a courtesy visit in which police took him to the scene where his vehicle was recovered, Furin said two witnesses identified Breakiron as the driver who wrecked the vehicle. Both gave police written statements.

Later in the afternoon, Breakiron called police and said he was the driver at the time of the accident and that he concocted the theft report because he was scared of the state’s new driving under the influence laws and how a DUI charge could affect his job, according to authorities.