Sheldon, Iowa — A Sheldon man has been charged in connection with a traffic crash that happened last summer in Sheldon.
According to the Sheldon Police Department, in the early hours of July 22nd last year one of their officers, while on routine patrol, discovered a Dodge pickup, registered to Joseph Wenthe of Sheldon, laying on its side blocking 11th Street in Sheldon, but the driver of the pickup had fled the scene. Approximately one half hour later, Wenthe called the O’Brien County Communications Center to report his truck stolen.
According to authorities, during their investigation of the crash, they found fresh blood in the truck, which was collected and sent to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Crime Lab for DNA testing. Police say the result of the test was made available to them several months later, and it reportedly matched Wenthe’s DNA.
As a result of the investigation, police say they charged Wenthe with false report of an indictable offense to a public entity, a serious misdemeanor, failure to report an accident resulting in personal injury, failure to maintain control, and striking an unattended vehicle, all simple misdemeanors.
