Roaring Spring Man Waives Child Endangerment Charges

A Roaring Spring man facing child endangerment and alcohol related charges is headed to Blair County court after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing. Toby R. Wilson, 25, appeared before Hollidaysburg Magisterial District Judge Paula Aigner on Dec. 14, where he waived charges of felony endangering the welfare of children, misdemeanor charges of recklessly endangering another person and DUI related charges to the county court.

According to charges filed by Hollidaysburg State Police, on the evening of Oct. 19, two vehicles were involved in a crash on Plank Road in Altoona. A witness to the crash called 911 to report the driver at fault had fled the scene in his vehicle.

According to police, the witness followed the car while on the phone with 911. The witness told police that the car pulled into a driveway on Oak Ave, and that he saw the driver, later identified as Wilson, bleeding. Police said the witness also observed a woman and a young child in the car and that the child was not in a booster seat.

Blair County 911 then received another call from a woman who told them that two cars had pulled into her driveway and that she could hear someone yelling “There are kids in the car. You could have killed the kids.”

The woman caller said the vehicles then left her driveway and drove off in an unknown direction. Meanwhile, the witness to the crash was still following Wilson’s vehicle while talking with a 911 operator. The witness told 911 that the vehicle was traveling up Veterans Highway toward Skyline Drive and that someone was throwing items out of the vehicle’s window, including a child’s booster seat.

Cambria County 911 then received a call from the witness that the vehicle had stopped on the 900 block of Colonel Drake Highway, Gallitzin Township.

Troopers from the Hollidaysburg and Ebensburg State Police barracks arrived on scene to find a crashed Nissan Versa with a Tennessee registration. Police said the vehicle had “significant” damage to the driver’s side and the airbags were deployed.

Police said inside the vehicle they found multiple small bottles of Fireball whiskey. The witness told police that the vehicle’s occupants had fled into the woods. Police said they located the individuals, Wilson, an adult female, and the female’s 4-year-old daughter. Police said the female requested medical assistance for herself and her daughter.

When police interviewed Wilson, he allegedly told them that the female was driving at the time of the accident. Police said they told Wilson that a witness said he was driving when the accident happened.

Police said they could smell a strong odor of alcohol on Wilson’s breath and that his eyes were “bloodshot and glassy.” Police said Wilson claimed he was unable to complete a filed sobriety test because of a leg injury and that he refused to submit to a preliminary breath test.

Wilson was taken into custody and transported to UPMC Altoona for a Blood Alcohol Test which resulted in a BAC of 0.094.

Wilson faces a formal arraignment in Blair County Court on Feb. 22. He remains free on $50,000 unsecured bail.