Fire Chief Shayne Quinn and another person from Cochran Hose Company are accused in an Allegheny County Police insurance fraud probe.
The charges result from a March 24 incident outside the fire station.
According to police, security footage from the station shows 27-year-old Monica Hinda of Coraopolis running a stop sign and hitting a parked vehicle on Chestnut Street at around 11:33 p.m. She then moved her car across the street to the station.
The criminal complaint states that shortly after, Quinn was seen on camera at the fire station.
The complaint alleges that Quinn picked up what seemed to be a part of Hinda’s car, placed it in the car, and drove away, while Hinda and another person left in the fire chief’s truck.
Sewickley Police Chief Dave Mazza is mentioned multiple times in the complaint and is reported to have spoken to Quinn about the crash the next day, but he declined to comment on the case.
Mazza said, “The case is not being handled by the Sewickley Police Department. It is being handled by the county police department.”
The complaint indicates that Mazza became aware of the incident after the car owner reported the collision to the police department.
Authorities said Hinda informed investigators that she initially told her insurance company that the collision was caused by hitting an animal.
Quinn faces misdemeanor charges of tampering with physical evidence and hindering apprehension or prosecution.
His preliminary hearing is set for May 3 before District Judge James J. Hanley Jr.
Hinda is charged with a felony count of insurance fraud as well as minor traffic violations for not stopping at a stop sign and for being involved in an accident with unattended vehicles. Her preliminary hearing has not yet been scheduled.
