Motorist charged in 2018 hit-and-crash in Georges Township

Police said Charles Edward Lynn had stolen a pickup truck in Point Marion on Oct. 12, 2018, and drove it for several miles before crashing it into another vehicle on Mountain Road in Georges Township.

Lynn allegedly ran from the crash scene before police arrived, while the other driver suffered numerous broken bones and other injuries that required her to be hospitalized for a month at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., according to court documents.

Investigators at the time didn’t know who the driver of the stolen pickup truck was, so they took the steering wheel and airbag from the vehicle to perform DNA testing to see if they could find a match.

The DNA profile was discovered in June 2020 following testing at the state police’s testing laboratory in Greensburg, and while investigators suspected Lynn, they did not have a match. However, that DNA match came in May 2021 after investigators received a testing swab from Lynn while he was jailed on other charges in Fayette County in numerous separate cases.

Lynn, 44, of Uniontown, was charged Wednesday with aggravated assault by vehicle, accident involving injury, accident involving damage to an attended vehicle and receiving stolen property. He is currently serving a lengthy sentence at the state prison near Bellefonte in Centre County for convictions in numerous cases that mostly occurred in 2019 and 2020, although some date back to 2008, according to online court documents.

Investigators spoke to the other motorist involved in the crash last week and she told them that she still suffers from her injuries.

“(The other driver) related that she still suffers pain daily and is currently disabled, which requires her to use a walking cane for everyday activities,” state police wrote in court documents.

It’s not known when Lynn would be arraigned in connection with the hit-and-run crash. Those most recent charges were filed at District Judge Daniel Shimshock’s office in Masontown.