TOWN OF ROCKLAND – A Livingston Manor man has been arrested in connection with a rear-end collision with a State Police vehicle.
James Freer, 44, was arrested in connection with the February 10 crash on Route 17 in the Town of Rockland.
He was charged with making a false written statement and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and was issued several tickets for vehicle and traffic law violations including unregistered motor vehicle, driving on the shoulder, failure to yield right of way to an emergency vehicle, moving from lane unsafely, driver view obstructed, and failure to keep right.
He was also issued appearance tickets for the misdemeanors, all of which are returnable in late April.
At about 6:15 p.m. on February 10, a trooper from the Liberty barracks had just stopped a vehicle traveling westbound for a vehicle and traffic law violation.
The trooper spoke with the driver and returned to his vehicle. As he stepped out to issue the citation, he heard a radio transmission and closed his door to listen. Seconds later he police car was struck in the rear and side pushing it into the stopped vehicle.
The trooper was transported to Orange Regional Medical Center in the Town of Wallkill where he was treated by non-life-threatening injuries.
The person who struck the police car was not injured nor was the driver of the vehicle the officer had initially stopped.
