Published October 27. 2016 07:45PM
A man whose body was recovered from a lake Monroe County on Saturday after a fatal crash had been in a hit-and-run accident nearby the night before, according to state police.
Howard Brown, 47, of Saylorsburg, was driving a pickup truck that rear-ended another driver on Hamilton South near Old Route 115, according to state police. The crash occurred around 8:30 p.m., according to police.The driver whose vehicle was rear-ended told police that the driver who struck him was initially cooperative, but then fled driving westbound on Kunkletown Road at a high rate of speed.The driver said that prior to taking off, Brown pulled into the parking lot of a Sunoco gas station and spoke briefly with him.He said that Brown smelled of alcohol, was unsteady on his feet, and had badly slurred speech.He was able to obtain the license plate from the vehicle and report it to police.Saturday afternoon, the same 1984 Chevrolet pickup was discovered overturned and partially submerged in a marshy area located along Kunkletown Road, not far from its intersection from Mount Eaton Road.Brown and his passenger, 39-year-old Tara Hallingse, were pronounced dead at the scene.Brown was not wearing a seatbelt, according to police.The Monroe County Coroner said it appeared that they had been in the water since Friday evening.