Even though local residents tried to help, however, Pelton felt the need to take out his phone, filmed the two injured 17-year-olds, entered the crashed auto to record some more, and uploaded the video to his Facebook account.
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Police say Paul Pelton, 41, was at the scene when the accident involving two teenage boys occurred early Monday, July 13. On Pelton’s six-minute video, cops noted, he is heard referring to the injured boys as “idiots”.
However, it’s that same Facebook video that has gotten Pelton charged with vehicular trespassing and arrested.
“I just wanted to educate people to slow down”, he tells the Cleveland TV station. Goodin was hurt but survived but Friend, who was a passenger, was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center where he died of his injuries.
Friend later died at a nearby hospital.
Lorain Police Det. Buddy Sivert told the Northeast Ohio Media Group: “He went right in after the crash, before the rescuers or police arrived”.
What is a crime, however, is entering a auto without permission, so that’s what police ended up arresting Pelton for.
Pelton never approached the police with the video, according to the report. Instead, according to police, Pelton started filming the scene on his cellphone. The news source say he did in fact contact them and offer the video to them. He walks around to the driver’s side and video tapes the driver, and then returns to the door that he opened and continues to capture video of these boys and the interior of the vehicle.
Sivert and Capt. Roger Watkins attempted to speak with Pelton at his home, 1341 F St.in Lorain, but he was unavailable.
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Lorain police said that citizens are allowed and encouraged to help others in emergencies if they can safely, and that rendering aid or comfort to a dying young man and his severely injured friend is a commendable and kindly act.. “I never intended it to be a video that came across as a gore video”, said Pelton in the video obtained by WOIO-TV. “I wanted to open the door there to see if there were any victims back there that I could help”. “It is not a crime to stick a camera where a kid is dying or try to sell it”. In a Facebook message, he asked for a donation to a charity with which he’s involved in exchange for the video. newsnet5.com declined.
