A Piedmont man has been charged in Jefferson County with three felony charges for reportedly causing a five-vehicle accident while driving a stolen SUV on Hwy. 61-67 near Miller Road East south of Arnold and then fleeing from the scene. Two people were injured in the crash, authorities reported.
Clay Arthur Eugene Westmoreland, 36, has been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, each one a class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison, and leaving the scene of an accident that caused property damage to exceed $1,000, a class E felony that carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison, court records show.
As of March 1, he was being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond in the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro.
On Feb. 25, Westmoreland was driving a 2006 Jeep Commander north on Hwy. 61-67 when he reportedly hit the back of a 2018 Nissan Versa that was stopped to turn left onto Miller Road East. The Versa was pushed into the southbound lane, where it was struck by a 2013 Toyota Camry and a 2016 Honda CRV. The CRV was then struck from behind by a southbound 2011 Ford Escape, according to the probable-cause statement in the case.
The damage to the Camry, Versa and Escape was estimated at more than $1,000 each. The CRV also was damaged but no estimate for that damage was provided in the probable-cause statement.
The driver of the Versa and a passenger in the Camry each said they were injured. The passenger in the Camry was transported to an area hospital, and the driver of the Versa refused to be transported, the report said.
Westmoreland pulled the Commander onto the right shoulder of the highway, and a witness took pictures of him getting out of the SUV and running away, according to the report.
A Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputy who responded to the accident discovered Piedmont Police had reported the Commander stolen, and there was a .44-caliber Euro Arms gun in the SUV, which also was reported as stolen, the report said.
Arnold Police found Westmoreland in the parking lot outside the Marcus Arnold Cinema, 1912 Richardson Road, and the deputy responded to the movie theater. Westmoreland was wearing the same clothes as the suspect in the photos the witness took, according to the report.
Westmoreland, a prior offender, was arrested. He had pleaded guilty in 2005 to first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, a felony, in Perry County, the report said.