Martin woman charged with filing a false report and leaving the scene of an accident

Margaret Richards

Story by Senior Investigative Reporter Shannon Taylor

On Monday, Oct. 28 Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) Trooper Chris Moeller reported a vehicle found left in the roadway after it crashed on Frontage Road in Martin. The driver, Margaret Richards, left the scene and made no attempt to call 9-1-1 or law enforcement to advise them of the vehicle in the roadway.

The crash happened on Oct. 28 and Richards was interviewed regarding the circumstances of the vehicle and crash on Oct. 29 in an attempt to find the registered owner and driver, but she made no mention that she was, in fact, the driver of the vehicle at the time of the crash.

On Oct. 30, Richards called the Weakley County Sheriff’s Department looking for the vehicle and stated to them that she was the driver at the time of the crash. Richards left a voicemail stating that she wanted to report a wreck so she could get the vehicle back.

On Oct. 31 the registered owner of the vehicle and sister of Richards stated that Richards was the driver of the vehicle at the time of the crash and had been driving the vehicle for the past four months.

Richards was charged with immediate notice of accident, filing a false report, failure to provide proof of insurance, failure to drive within the lane and leaving the scene of an accident.