Plum woman accused of texting and driving before hit-and-run with house

Police said a Plum woman was texting while driving, causing her to lose control of her car and crash into a home.

Natalie Mains, 24, was charged with misdemeanor accident involving damage to property and four other traffic charges, including reckless driving, stemming from an incident June 17.

A preliminary hearing for Mains is scheduled for July 26 before District Judge Randy C. Martini.

Police wrote in court papers that officers were dispatched to the 8000 block of Saltsburg Road for a vehicle that had hit a residence. While police were en route, dispatchers said the vehicle had left the scene and was headed toward Boyce Park Drive.

Police arrived at the residence and spoke with the homeowners, the complaint said. It said a vehicle, later identified as a gray Ford Mustang driven by Mains, went through the landscaping outside the home, striking the front right corner of the house and causing “minor damage,” then passed through the yard, damaging landscaping lights and grass.

Mains then drove onto a neighboring property, also causing damage to the yard, police said.

Police located a black plastic piece of the bumper, which had Ford printed on it, at the scene, the complaint said. The vehicle was leaking fluid once it left the scene, and police followed the fluid trail on Saltsburg Road.

Following the track, police located a gray Ford Mustang parked along Old Farm Road with nobody around, the complaint said.

Police wrote in the complaint that the vehicle had damage to its front bumper area, and the entire driver’s side appearance was consistent with the vehicle striking the residence. The front bumper also was missing a piece, which was consistent with the black plastic piece found at the scene, police said.

Police took pictures of the damage, and the vehicle was towed.

When police contacted the car’s registered owner, Mains’ father, he said Natalie should have been driving the vehicle. She turned herself in to police later that day to provide driver’s and insurance information and a written statement, where she said she was texting while driving, lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the property.