A Schuylkill County woman is facing a couple felony charges after police say she stole the vehicle of a woman who attempted to help her at the scene of a crash.
This bizarre incident happened early Sunday morning, a little before 1:30 a.m., along Route 61 North in West Brunswick Township.
According to court records obtained by The Canary, police were summoned to the scene of a crash on the highway, just north or Pine View Lane.
Before getting to the scene, police were informed that one woman who was involved in the crash had gotten into another vehicle at the scene and drove away, the hazard flashers still activated. Police learned that the stolen vehicle belonged to a Shenandoah woman who had stopped to assist at the scene of the crash.
Another woman involved in the crash told police she saw a “small, skinny” woman with dark-brown hair, wearing an all-black outfit with its hips cut out, get into this victim’s dark gray Jeep Cherokee and drive off.
Police traced the suspect’s vehicle that was left at the scene of the crash – a white Subaru – to its owner, Alani Schwoyer, 19, of Orwigsburg.
The woman whose vehicle was allegedly taken by Schwoyer told police that her phone was still inside her Jeep and that it was being pinged from Snapchat to an address on Ridgewood Rd., West Brunswick Twp.
That prompted police from the State Police barracks in Schuylkill Haven and Frackville, along with an officer from Orwigsburg PD to go to that address. The stolen Jeep was located near that residence and police knocked on the door.
The person answering the door at that address was asked if Schwoyer was inside, which the person confirmed she was and was trying to call her mother. Schwoyer eventually emerged from that home and was taken into custody, police say.
Upon questioning, Schwoyer reportedly told police that she was on her way back from dropping off a friend and had seen a deer. That prompted her to get into the crash
Schwoyer told police that she left the scene of the crash and returned to her friend’s house, from where she came prior to the incident. She said she wasn’t aware that she’d gotten into the wrong vehicle (remember, one was a dark gray Jeep and the other a white Subaru) and only realized she had the wrong phone when she saw its lock screen.
Police say while Schwoyer was spinning this yarn, they could smell alcohol. Schwoyer allegedly confirmed that suspicion by saying she’d drunk a half-bottle of wine before dropping off her friend.
Field sobriety tests were done on Schwoyer and she reportedly agreed to a blood test at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pottsville.
The owner of the allegedly stolen Jeep arrived at the West Brunswick home where it was located and was able to recover her vehicle. However, the victim told police her keys and phone were missing.
Missing keys were eventually found in the yard of the home.
Police living at that West Brunswick home found the victim’s phone inside and also found the item of clothing – the one with the hips cut out – Schwoyer was reportedly wearing when she got in the crash.
Schwoyer was arraigned before District Magistrate Stephen Bayer on felony charges of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property. She was released by Bayer on her own recognizance.
A preliminary hearing for Schwoyer to answer those charges is scheduled for Dec. 12.
