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Driver’s identity confuses officers at crash

YOUNGSTOWN — A person who is identified as either Willow Eisenman or Jason Tray in court and jail records, will be arraigned today in Youngstown Municipal Court on misdemeanor traffic offenses after allegedly driving nearly 100 mph before crashing into a dump truck on South Avenue in Youngstown on Monday morning.

The person is charged with reckless operation of a vehicle and obstructing official business.

A Youngstown police report states that an officer saw a gray Hyundai traveling north on South Avenue at nearly 100 mph, driving left of center at oncoming traffic, failing to stop for traffic control devices or vehicles, and forcing some vehicles off the road.

Traffic was busy because it was 8:11 a.m., which is considered rush hour, the report states.

The officer activated lights and siren to warn oncoming traffic. The officer did not pursue the vehicle because it was so far ahead and because of the speed it was traveling, the report states. The officer saw the vehicle ignore several traffic lights on its way downtown.

As the police officer reached downtown, he saw vehicles “scattered” on the South Avenue bridge, a dump truck hauling heavy equipment and the Hyundai crashed in front of the dump truck, the report states. Several witnesses had the driver of the Hyundai detained in front of the car. The person told the officer she “liked to drive real fast and that is all she was doing.”

No one was injured in the episode. The driver identified herself as Willow Eisenman, but the social security number matched a man, Jason Tray from Salem, the registered owner of the car. She said that was her husband, but other documents later indicated that Eisenman and Tray were the same person.

The officer took the driver into custody on misdemeanor charges and took the driver to the Mahoning County jail.

The driver of the dump truck said the Hyundai came up along the side of the truck at an extremely high speed and veered left into the truck, striking the passenger side fuel tank and then went under the right front wheel. The truck was damaged.

Although Youngstown Municipal Court records list Willow A. Eisenman, 24, as having been charged with the reckless operation and obstructing official business in a Monday incident in Youngstown, the person in the Mahoning County jail with the same birthdate as Eisenman and charged with reckless operation and obstructing official business is listed as Jason Tray, 24.

The person was booked into the Mahoning County jail Monday and was released later Monday, according to jail records.

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