A Worthington man, in court early yesterday morning, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident in the Bloomfield area. He allegedly left his vehicle on its side in a ditch and damaged a utility pole that cost about $50,000 to repair.   

Joshua Lee Carmichael, 28, Worthington, was arrested by Greene County Sheriff’s Deputy Harvey Holt following a crash on Saturday, November 17.

Deputy Holt was dispatched at 7:11 p.m. that night after a caller reported the accident located near North Baseline Road and East Abrams Road in the Bloomfield area. The caller said two men were laying in a field nearby.

When Holt arrived, he found a 2008 Pontiac SUV on its passenger side in a ditch on Abrams Road with major damage. It was leaning against a utility pole and support wire owned by REMC Utilities. The utility pole was broken but still standing and the support wire was damaged.

There were no men in the field and there was nobody around the vehicle but fire personnel on the scene said they saw a black Jeep driving away as they arrived.

Holt determined the plates on the vehicle belonged to a man in Worthington and other deputies went to the owner’s residence. While they were talking to the owner, a black Jeep pulled into the driveway and Joshua Carmichael got out.

Holt reported Carmichael first denied driving the vehicle but then admitted he’d just gotten too close to the edge and went off the roadway.

Holt said Carmichael, who had a learner’s permit, didn’t report the accident to law enforcement or the utility company and there was no insurance on the vehicle.

Holt said the cost to repair the damage to the utility pole and wire was estimated at $50,000.

Carmichael was booked in to the Greene County Jail around 9:24 p.m. His bond was set at $500 surety with ten percent cash allowed. After posting $50 cash, he was released that same night and given a court date of Thursday, November 29.

Leaving the scene of an accident is a Class B misdemeanor.