Smethport woman charged with insurance fraud

A Smethport woman is facing allegations that she filed an insurance claim for a motor vehicle accident that happened prior to her obtaining insurance.

Kaylee Welch, 22, of 6113 Route 46, Smethport, was arraigned Thursday before District Judge William Todd on charges of insurance fraud and criminal attempt-theft by deception, third-degree felonies.

According to the criminal complaint, on March 2, 2020, Welch obtained an insurance policy through Progressive Insurance Co. Then, on March 6, 2020, she filed a first notice of loss claim, stating that on March 5 she struck a deer and a tree with her 2013 Ford Escape sport utility vehicle.

Welch told Progressive that her SUV had no pre-existing damage before the accident, the complaint stated. Damage to the SUV was estimated to be $7,961.35.

A neighbor provided video footage to a special investigator with Progressive that showed the SUV had front-end damage on Feb. 29-March 1, 2020 — prior to her obtaining the insurance policy, court records indicated.

Welch told an investigator with the Western Regional Office of the Insurance Fraud Section of the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General that prior to March 2, 2020, her car was not running and was sitting at her boyfriend’s house in Eldred. She related that she started driving her car after March 2, 2020, and a day or two later, while driving on Moody Hollow Road, a deer ran out in front of her car, the complaint stated.

When the investigator from the attorney general’s office showed Welch photographs taken between Feb. 29 and March 1 in 2020 showing that her SUV was already damaged, she “became confused and stated that her vehicle did not have damage prior to the deer hit,” the complaint stated. The investigator then told her there were questions as to whether the accident actually happened when she said it did.

Welch called the attorney general’s office investigator back later the same day and admitted the accident happened before she had insurance and that other “people” convinced her to get a policy and file a claim, according to court records.

Welch is free on $10,000 unsecured bail, and a preliminary hearing is set for Monday.

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Bradford man accused of possession of stolen car

A Bradford man is in McKean County Jail after he was allegedly found to be in possession of a stolen car.

James P. Kemick, 36, of 137 N. Center St., was arraigned Sunday before District Judge David Engman on a charge of receiving stolen property, a third-degree felony.

The criminal complaint states that at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, a state trooper ran the registration plate for a 2005 GMC Envoy sport utility vehicle that was traveling ahead of him on Bolivar Drive in Foster Township. The registration was expired, so the trooper pulled the vehicle over.

Seeing three people in the SUV, the trooper called for backup from local police departments. While on scene, it was found that the SUV was displaying the incorrect registration; when a search was done using the correct VIN, the trooper learned the vehicle was reported to be stolen, according to court records.

Kemick, who was a passenger in the vehicle, said he was given the SUV from another man, and the reason the operator of the SUV — whose name was not noted in the complaint — was driving is that the other occupants had suspended licenses, the complaint stated.

Kemick is in jail in lieu of $10,000 bail, and a preliminary hearing is set for March 10.