Suspect in Southwest Greensburg hit-and-run arrested in Armstrong County

A former Greensburg man was taken into custody Wednesday in Armstrong County on charges he was driving during a hit-and-run in Southwest Greensburg 13 months ago.

North Buffalo Police Chief Jason Hufhand said Justin Lamont Hudspath, 38, was arrested with help of the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force at a home north of Kittanning. He is being held at the Armstrong County Jail, Hufhand said.

A man in his 30s was seriously injured on Dec. 3, 2019, after being hit by a Ford dump truck investigators say was being driven by Hudspath, who is charged with aggravated assault by vehicle, accidents involving death or injury while not properly licensed, giving false information and several other summary citations.

Borough police were called to Sidney Street near the intersection of Westminster Avenue at 8:30 p.m. and found the injured man. He was bleeding severely and investigators said his shoes had been knocked off his feet.

He was hospitalized with multiple skull fractures and a traumatic brain injury, according to court papers filed by county detectives.

Police picked up plastic pieces lying on the ground that appeared to belong to the vehicle that hit him. A state police accident reconstruction trooper identified the pieces as potentially belonging to a Ford Super Duty truck.

Police said Hudspath was at the scene but claimed to be a passerby who hadn’t witnessed the crash, according to court papers.

With help from a social media post seeking information about the hit-and-run, investigators got an anonymous photo of a Ford truck parked in Greensburg that appeared to have damage consistent with the incident, police said. Authorities connected the truck in the picture to a Greensburg construction business and a private contractor — Hudspath — who was using it at the time, according to court papers.

A coworker told investigators that he and Hudspath had a few drinks after work on Dec. 3, 2019 and Hudspath dropped him off at home, not far from the hit-and-run scene, according to court papers.

Hudspath claimed he hit a deer the night of the crash, but his boss told police he didn’t believe the story. Shortly after, Hudspath abandoned his Greensburg apartment and both his boss and coworker told investigators they hadn’t seen him since.

County detectives examined the truck and found nothing that would indicate it hit an animal, according to court papers. Pieces of the grill matched the items found at the scene and police said there was mail belonging to Hudspath inside. A forensic detective determined that a pattern in dirt found on the front bumper matched the pattern on the injured man’s pants.

Hudspath’s drivers license had been suspended, but it was unclear from court records why.

He is a lifetime registrant as a sex offender under Megan’s Law after a 2004 sexual assault conviction in a Westmoreland County case. His registration status Wednesday was listed as absconded. He previously served three to six years in a state prison for failing to update his Megan’s Law registration in 2013, according to court records.

An arrest warrant was issued for him in the hit-and-run on Dec. 11. An arraignment has not been scheduled.