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A Warsaw teen injured in an auto accident Monday faces criminal charges.
Derek Krichbaum, 15, of Warsaw, suffered a broken leg when the car he was driving struck a parked semi about 11:30 a.m. at a residence in Brookwood Addition.
According to Ptl. Brian Hupp of the Warsaw Police Department, the car Krichbaum was driving was stolen moments before from Boggs Automotive. Hupp said he had just finished at the scene of an accident at the intersection of Tippecanoe Drive and Rieder Street and was southbound on Rieder Street when he saw the car Krichbaum was driving and another vehicle approaching him.
Hupp said the car Krichbaum was in didn't have its headlights turned on and the vehicle was smoking heavily. Hupp turned around and followed the cars and, when the other vehicle turned off, he continued to follow the car Krichbaum was in. Hupp said the smoke was so thick that he was driving only about 5 mph when the smoke suddenly cleared and he thought the car had turned off and he had lost sight of it. However, residents pointed him in the direction of the car, which had crashed into the parked semi.
Krichbaum was able to crawl out a window of the vehicle and allegedly told Hupp that he was out joyriding. Charges of auto theft, driving without headlights and driving without a license are pending against Krichbaum.
Damage to the car, registered to Sherry Bays of Pierceton, is estimated at $5,000. Damage to the semi belonging to H&H Transport Services is $2,000 to $3,000.
