Driver Runs Away After Causing Crash Near Ottawa

8/4/17 – 5:27 A.M.

Alcohol may have been a factor in a two-car crash that injured an Ottawa woman Thursday afternoon. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office says the collision happened on State Route 65 near Road 7-D around 4:30 p.m.

Diego Salas Perez was driving north on the highway when he went left of center and hit a car driven by Lauren Massey of Ottawa. Perez ran away from the crash site, but officers found him near a home at 8643 Road 7-D. Putnam County EMS took Massey to St. Rita’s Ambulatory Care Center in Ottawa for treatment.

Deputies charged Perez with operating a motor vehicle with no operator’s license, failure to maintain reasonable control of a motor vehicle, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Investigators also believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.