Couple accused of insurance fraud in vehicle crash

Feb. 24--WENATCHEE -- A husband and wife are charged with fraud and perjury after authorities said they faked a 2014 Jeep crash up No. 2 Canyon and attempted to collect insurance payments.

Andrew Donaldson, 29, and Jessica Lynn Donaldson, 32, of Wenatchee were summoned to Chelan County Superior Court court Wednesday on charges of fraudulent destruction of insured property and second-degree perjury. They're accused of sending their 2010 Jeep Wrangler into a deep ravine, then falsely telling insurance investigators and Chelan County sheriff's deputies the Jeep was destroyed by accident.

The Donaldsons' vehicle went off the road Sept. 11, 2014, near a cul-de-sac known as White Trash Point. The couple told investigators they stopped on the road and opened the hood to investigate warning indicators that had lit up on the dashboard. While they were out of the Jeep, it lurched forward and plunged down the embankment, they said.

The Jeep was recovered about 850 feet down the hill. Investigators said they found evidence the Jeep's stereo, speakers and floormats had been removed prior to the crash. An East Wenatchee man told deputies he had purchased the floormats from Andrew Donaldson for about $30 in mid-October 2014.

Deputies said when a witness investigated the crash site, he found the vehicle's transmission was in drive. Andrew Donaldson told them the vehicle was in park with the engine running at the time of the wreck.

The Jeep was extracted from the ravine and towed Sept. 30, 2014, at a cost of $13,000. The Donaldsons submitted a claim to PEMCO Insurance, specifying they owed $33,000 on the Jeep. After being interviewed by police, Jessica Donaldson sought to withdraw the $46,000 total insurance claim, deputies said.

Both charges leveled at the Donaldsons are felonies. Destruction of insured property may carry a sentence of up to a year in jail upon conviction for a defendant with no prior criminal history, while second-degree perjury carries a standard sentencing range of one to three months.

Reach Jefferson Robbins at 509-664-7123 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @JRobbinsWW.

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