Two charged in fatal accident
A man and a woman, who allegedly lied to police about who was behind the driver, were charged in connection with the death of 16-year-old Tim Paciello Jr., a junior at Pottsgrove High School.
Two charged in fatal accident
Two Collegeville residents have been charged in connection with the car accident that killed a 16-year-old Pottsgrove High School student.
The Pottsgrove Police Department and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office said today that the woman who claimed to be the driver of the car that struck Tim Paciello, Jr. on Nov. 12, actually was the front-seat passenger. Investigators learned that her boyfriend, who said he was the passenger, was the one actually operating the vehicle when it hit Paciello as the high school junior crossed East High Street by Sunnyside Avenue in Lower Pottsgrove Township.
Robert N. Sitler, Jr. faces homicide by vehicle, insurance fraud, unsworn falsification to authorities, false reports, corruption of minors, conspiracy, reckless driving, speeding and other charges. Denise Dinnocenti’s charges include insurance fraud, unsworn falsification to authorities, false reports, corruption of minors, and conspiracy.
During a follow-up interview, police said, Dinnocenti and Sitler admitted that Sitler — who had drunk “a few beers” and was involved in a 2004 pedestrian crash in Alabama — was the driver. In that 2004 case, Sitler was convicted of vehicle homicide-manslaughter.
The pair also acknowledged that they had instructed Dinnocenti’s children, who were sitting in the backseat, to lie about who was driving at the time of the accident.
The driver has killed two pedestrians in separate accidents. It appears he was drunk in this crash and my guess is he was drunk in the last. At what point do we start treating drunks who kill like the murderers that they are? He should go away for at least 20 to 30 years and never be allowed to have a driver's license again. As for the woman, it is unreal that she allowed her small children to be driven in a car operated by a drunk driver and then enlisted them to lie about a homicide. Her custody of those children ought to be in serious jeopardy.— Wednesday
Contact Davis at cdavis@phillynews.com or 610-313-8109.
Contact Parks at 610-313-8117, jparks@philly.com, or https://twitter.com/JS_Parks.
