Warren man charged with leaving scene of Dec. 20 accident


January 18, 2017 at 12:02a.m.

By Ed Runyan

runyan@vindycom

WARREN

Derek T. Moore, 27, of Sunset Drive Northeast is charged with misdemeanor failure to stop after an accident and failure to yield in a crosswalk in a Dec. 20 accident at East Market and Chestnut Streets that injured a city man.

Moore will be arraigned Thursday in Warren Municipal Court.

Traffic officer Ben Harrell of the Warren Police Department tracked Moore down by identifying the vehicle involved through surveillance video from two businesses and an eyewitness.

Using the witness’s partial license-plate identification and the state’s auto registration database, Harrell went to Moore’s home to find a car in the driveway matching the suspect vehicle.

Moore admitted being the driver during the accident, Harrell said.

With the help of a Vindicator article, the crash victim, Artem P. Brodeur, 23, of Ankeny, Iowa, was alerted that Harrell needed to speak to him to get additional information about the extent of his injuries.

Brodeur, who was described as homeless but works for a Warren construction company, made Harrell aware of his injuries, which were not serious, with no broken bones.

Brodeur had some bruises and missed work for a couple of days, so the charge against Moore is a misdemeanor, not a felony, Harrell said.

Police said Brodeur was struck while walking across Chestnut Street at the East Market Street intersection. He was treated at ValleyCare Trumbull Memorial Hospital.

Moore was making a southbound turn onto Chestnut from Market when he hit Brodeur, who rolled onto the hood of the car and onto the sidewalk, police said. Moore did not stop after the accident, police said.

A witness followed Moore’s dark-colored 2001 Volvo after the accident as it headed south on Chestnut and went through the McDonald’s parking lot, Harrell said.

The witness said the car appeared to be a newer Honda, but the surveillance video at the McDonald’s and at May’s Towing led Harrell to check much older vehicles and other makes, leading Harrell to the Volvo.