Police seek help in solving hit-and-run cases

Feb. 19--HIGH POINT -- Police average about five hit-and-run crashes per day, and they're hoping information from the public will help solve some of the cases.

Officer Jeffrey Crouse, who's been assigned to the department's Traffic Unit since 2010, has heard about every excuse for why someone left the scene of a crash. The most common excuse he gets though, is a fairly minor one.

"I didn't have a license," he said. "Most of the time people leave for something very simple like that."

Had the person stayed at the scene, they likely would have gotten a ticket for driving without a license. Now, they're ticketed for driving without a license and a hit-and-run.

Then there are the hit-and-runs that happen in parking lots where someone hits an unoccupied vehicle. The person looks around and assumes no one saw. Then they leave.

However, Crouse said, if you hit a vehicle in a parking lot, you're almost guaranteed it was caught on surveillance video.

"If you hit a car in the parking lot, you should call the police no matter how minor it is," he said. "We'll locate the owner of that vehicle. I hear a lot, 'Well, I looked at it and I didn't see anything wrong with it.' If you hit a car, you need to call the police and let us determine if there's any damage or not."

For drivers who are the victim of a hit-and-run, the most important piece of information for police is a license plate number.

"People don't expect the other vehicle to leave," Crouse said. "So, they don't get a tag number. Or the other vehicle leaves so quickly they can't get the tag, and we understand that."

If someone does hit your vehicle and leave, call police immediately, he said.

"A lot of times they'll go home and call their insurance company and then they'll call us to file a report," Crouse said. "Now, it's two, three, four days into it. There could have been physical evidence at the scene or surveillance evidence. Some places have security cameras that just keep overlapping. So, when we go out there later, it's gone. There was video, but now it's recorded over. The sooner someone calls the better."

If you have information about a hit-and-run call Crimestoppers of High Point at 336-889-4000. All calls are anonymous. Crimestoppers pays up to $5,000 for successful tips.

Anyone with information also can call Crouse at 336-887-7833.

nstewart@hpenews.com -- 336-888-3601 -- @NatalieLStewart

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