Two Arrests in Moped Hit and Run

HIT AND RUN/PEDESTRIAN:
1800 block Princess Anne St, 7/29 7:10 p.m. Officers responded to reports of a person struck by a vehicle and found a 21-year-old female with injuries to her face, arms, and legs.

The victim reported that she and her boyfriend were walking on the Heritage Trail and crossing Princess Anne Street when a man on a moped swerved around vehicles that were stopped at the crosswalk and knocked her to the pavement.

The driver of the moped abandoned the vehicle on the grass verge next to the roadway and fled on foot. The victim was transported by ambulance to Mary Washington Hospital.

During the investigation, a female approached the crash scene and claimed the moped as hers.  The female reported that she had left the moped outside her residence in the 1600 block of Charles Street and that an unknown person had stolen it.

A short time later, a caller provided information to dispatchers in the E-911 center concerning the identity of the moped driver. The suspect was confirmed to be the boyfriend of the moped owner.

At approximately 8:30 p.m., the suspect was found hiding behind a house on Charles Street. He was transported to the hospital for a possible broken elbow and other injuries sustained during the crash. The investigating officer obtained warrants against Thomas William Johnson, 42, of Fredericksburg, charging him with felony hit and run, felony driving while revoked, reckless driving, and public intoxication. Johnson has not yet been arrested pending his release from the hospital.

Johnson’s girlfriend, Melissa Gerke, 45, was also arrested and charged with obstruction of justice. Gerke was released by the officer on her own recognizance.

LARCENY:
Kinlock Cir, 7/20 – 7/28 9:30 p.m. A resident reported that an unknown person broke in to his locked vehicle and stole loose change and cash from the console. No suspects or witnesses at this time.

2200 block Gordon Shelton Blvd, 7/29 3:10 p.m. – 4:40 p.m. A juvenile reported that an unknown person stole her purse from her unlocked vehicle. No suspects or witnesses at this time.

1400 block Franklin St, 7/22 – 7/29 2:00 a.m. A resident reported that an unknown person stole his bicycle from the back porch. No suspects or witnesses at this time.

VANDALISM:
500 block Sophia St, 7/26 – 7/27 10:30 a.m. A property owner reported that an unknown person broke a window at the front of the residence. No suspects or witnesses at this time.

ABC Store, 507 William St, 7/28 – 7/29 6:00 a.m. An employee reported that an unknown person applied paint to the front windows of the store. Similar paint was also found on the windows of Paymon Fine Rugs and on the ATM machine at Stellar One Bank. The investigation is ongoing.