Unlicensed Teen Flees Car Crash

An unlicensed teen who fled the scene of a Fife Lake car crash could face charges of leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and driving without a license.

The 15-year-old male was heading eastbound on Vans Lane near US-131 Sunday just before 3am when he drove off the road, hitting a tree. The driver and a passenger, a 14-year-old girl, were ejected from the vehicle. A second passenger, a 47-year-old Traverse City, was not ejected but sustained minor injuries in the crash. Deputies determined the older woman had been drinking.

Deputies used a K-9 to search the area, but could not find the teen driver, who is wanted for a juvenile pick-up and detain order in Genesee County. The 14-year-old girl, who is a relative of the boy, was taken to Munson Medical Center and treated for facial lacerations. She is a reported juvenile runaway from Flint.

The Grand Traverse Sheriff's Office has not yet determined the nature of the relationship between the teens and the adult passenger, who could face charges of allowing an unlicensed person to drive. The female teenager was turned over to the custody of her father at the hospital.