Monessen man charged in scare that resulted in lockdowns
MONONGAHELA – A Monessen man was charged Monday with leaving the scene of an accident and running into a wooded area, creating concerns that forced lockdowns of schools and day-care and medical centers last week.
Carroll Township police filed charges in the case against Job Matthew Hill, 35, accusing him fleeing after crashing a stolen car into a utility pole on Coyle Curtain Road about 8:15 a.m. Friday, court records show.
Washington County 911 reported the suspect was wearing a white coat and carrying a black bag when he left the vehicle and walked toward Monongahela. He later jumped over a guardrail and ran behind Roberts Auto Body on nearby Route 88 and through several backyards, police stated in the affidavit.
A Carroll police officer later saw Hill walking along a gas line near Route 88 and trying to conceal himself in tall grass. Hill then ran into woods near Stoops Drive and the officer lost sight of him.
As a result, Charleroi Area School District in nearby Fallowfield Township ordered a lockdown of its campus, as did Ringgold Elementary School South in Carroll.
Hill later was seen by a Monongahela police officer in the Spartan Medical Center parking lot on Stoops Drive in Carroll, resulting in a search and lockdown of that building, court records indicate.
Carroll and state police eventually took the suspect into custody about 1 p.m. near Taylor Run and Bogdan roads in Carroll.
Hill, of 649 14th St., was accused of falsely identifying himself with a first name of Rethias, police stated in the affidavit. The license plate on the car at the crash scene was not registered, and the vehicle had been reported stolen Nov. 30 in Washington, police said.
He violated the terms of his probation in another case and was sent Friday to Washington County jail, where he was treated for a minor head injury that he suffered in the crash. His probation involves a 2016 guilty plea in a Canonsburg harassment case.
He was scheduled to be arraigned by video this morning before District Judge Mark Wilson on charges of receiving stolen property, flight to avoid apprehension, giving police a false identification, causing an accident involving damage to unattended property, driving with a suspended or revoked license and careless driving.