Washington parents charged after child wrecks dirt bike
Two Washington parents have been charged after their teenage son allegedly crashed into a car while riding an unregistered dirt bike, suffering minor injuries.
Police said Andrew MacBeth, 39, and Ashley MacBeth, 41, had knowingly allowed their son to ride an off-road dirt bike on state highways despite it being unlicensed, uninsured, and without proper headlights.
“The result and cause of the parents’ actions was a 13-year-old making adult decisions without driving experience and being involved in a vehicle accident, where he was at fault for his actions, with personal injury to the juvenile,” Greene Washington Regional Police Department Officer Stella Siwula wrote in the complaint.
On the night of March 19, police said, the youth rode a half-mile from their home to the accident site at the intersection of Mesta Drive and McClay Road in Canton Township. His path crossed State Route 844, which Siwula described in the complaint as “a highly traveled route.”
Traveling at a high speed, the youth hit loose gravel and was unable to stop the dirt bike before hitting a vehicle and damaging its passenger-side mirror, front fender and car door, according to the complaint.
The teen suffered minor injuries to his upper and lower body, the complaint said. He was treated and transported from the scene, charging documents stated.
The parents each face a misdemeanor charge of endangering welfare of children, along with several summary offenses, including lack of headlights, no registration and driving at an unsafe speed.
Their preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 23.