An Ohio man arrested last summer for filming and taunting teen crash victims now faces additional charges connected with the original crime.
Paul Pelton was charged in July for trespassing when he entered a wrecked vehicle to take photos of a fatally injured motorist and the boy’s injured passenger. He then uploaded the gruesome images on Facebook in an effort to sell them.
Witnesses told police that the 41-year-old profiteer had rushed to the accident scene and pried open a crushed door -- not to help those trapped inside, but to film the teenagers and call them names, even as one lay dying.
The 17-year-old driver succumbed to his injuries, but last week Pelton once more showed just how heartless he could be:
He went to the parents of the dead youth and offered them an illicit bribe if they would testify that he “had permission” to enter the damaged vehicle.
According to the latest complaint against Paul Pelton, he told the boy’s family he was willing to swear that first responders “additionally” harmed their son when they arrived, contributing to his ‘wrongful’ death.
The suspect was originally looking at only a 30-day sentence and a small fine for his misdemeanor vehicular trespass. Now that he’s also been charged with bribery, however, he’ll soon be a convicted felon.
