State College Police vehicle involved in accident; witnesses sought

September 2, 2011 at 8:03 PM

The remnants of a civilian's sedan and a police SUV sit while police and firemen assess the situation. The accident occurred at the intersection of Foster and Locust around 2am Friday morning.Sarah Finnegan/Collegian

No injuries were reported in the Friday morning vehicle accident between a State College Police Department vehicle and a pizza delivery car, police said Friday afternoon.

The police vehicle, driven by Sgt. William Muse, and the Nissan pizza delivery vehicle, driven by Anna Cahn, 32, of State College, collided at the intersection of East Foster Avenue. and Locust Lane at about 1:15 a.m., said State College Police Capt. John Gardner.

Video surveillance captured Muse’s Tahoe driving along Beaver Canyon moments before the crash, Gardner said. Muse was driving westbound on Foster, and Cahn was driving northbound on Locust Lane when the two vehicles collided, Gardner said.

Cahn was transported to Mount Nittany Medical Center after the crash for a “precautionary check” and was later released, police said. Muse didn’t receive medical treatment, Gardner said.

Gardner said the case is still under investigation, and they have already contacted the Centre County District Attorney’s office. Police also said they have contacted the Pennsylvania State Police for assistance in the investigation. A full accident report hadn’t been completed as of Friday afternoon, Gardner said.

At the time of the accident, Muse didn’t put in a radio dispatch, Gardner said, but additional details about the nature of his activity are still pending.

“At this point we’re not in the position to say what he was doing. He was doing his job,” Gardner said. “It was not a call for service. He was responding to something he saw himself.”

Gardner said Muse turned on his lights, but it is unclear whether he sounded his sirens. The forthcoming investigation into the incident will attempt to determine whether the sirens were sounded, among other things, he said.

Police are also are investigating whether Muse violated any traffic ordinances before the crash, Gardner said. If a violation is discovered, Gardner said the matter will be handled internally and appropriate action will taken.

In 2010, Muse was found not guilty of driving at an unsafe speed in connection with an April 25, 2010 collision involving a pedestrian Penn State student.

The student, Kevin Ignatuk, 23, of Thornton, Pa., was crossing the street on the 400 block of E. Beaver Avenue at the time and was sent to the hospital with severe injuries in connection with the collision.

According to a crash reconstruction report, Muse was traveling 36 to 39 mph in a 25 mph zone at the time of the incident. Muse told police he saw Ignatuk suddenly cross the road and that he had “no time to react,” police said at the time.

Ignatuk pleaded guilty to public drunkenness, crossing outside of a crosswalk and causing a hazard while intoxicated in connection with the incident.

Following Friday’s incident, Police have assigned Muse to desk duty for the time being as standard procedure, not a punitive measure, Gardner said.

At the scene Friday morning, Muse’s marked vehicle and Cahn’s Nissan â€" out on a pizza delivery route for College Pizza, 128 Locust Lane â€" were positioned nearly two feet onto the sidewalk outside Acacia fraternity house, 234 Locust Lane. Both vehicles were left among a sea of shattered glass and car debris as a group of about 75 bystanders stood watch, dispersing after about 45 minutes.

Police are also asking anyone who witnessed the crash or has information regarding it tell police, Gardner said, and State College Police Lt. Keith Robb will be leading the investigation.