Accident lie leads to charges for Wellsboro man

Galeton, Pa. — A Wellsboro man got into legal trouble after he tried blaming a group of teens for a crash, police say.

Instead, police discovered Dakota Travis Wells, 24, had not only been responsible for the crash on May 7, he had also purchased a pack of beer for the teens, according to Galeton police.

Surveillance video showed Wells pulled into the Nittany Minit Mart in Galeton just before 9 p.m. and purchased a 15-pack of Budweiser, said Chief Joseph Cimino. Wells then drove his Toyota Tacoma pickup truck to the parking lot of Protektor Model across the street.

While Wells waited in his truck, the minors pulled into the lot in their own vehicle, Cimino said. Wells drove "aggressively" toward the teens' Ford Ranger before coming to an abrupt stop, the video shows.

"This is where the accident appears to happen," Cimino wrote in the affidavit. Wells inexplicably collected $500 from them after the crash, he added.

The next morning, someone associated with the minors contacted police about Wells buying the Budweiser for the teens. The caller also reported that Wells had reportedly damaged the driver's side fender and door when he crashed into it. After checking video surveillance, Cimino was able to confirm the caller's version of event.

Wells, however, contacted police later that same day and claimed his parked truck was hit by a group of teens. Wells allegedly said he took $500 offered by the kids to cover his deductible.

When asked if everything he told investigators was true, Wells answered, “Yes.

Wells is being charged with selling alcohol to minors, corruption of minors, and giving false information. No bail is listed for Wells, who is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing at the beginning of August.

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