According to court documents, Jacob Jason Taylor, 18, of Mount Carmel, was charged by Mahanoy Township Police with three counts of Recklessly Endangering Another Person. He was also cited for operating a vehicle without a valid inspection and for having no rear lights.
Police said the incident occurred on June 9, when police were parked near the school lot on West Centre Street and observed a pickup truck traveling westbound without functioning taillights.
After initiating a traffic stop near the intersection of West Centre Street and Coles Alley, the officer recognized the vehicle from a previous stop in April for a similar violation, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
Taylor was identified as the driver, and police determined the vehicle's inspection had expired. As the officer informed Taylor that the truck would be towed because it was unsafe to operate, he reportedly noticed movement coming from the bed of the pickup.
According to the complaint, Taylor told the officer, "You're going to find out anyways, but there are people back there."
Additional officers were called to the scene, and three individuals who had been lying in the bed of the truck were ordered out. Authorities identified the occupants and alleged that transporting them in the bed of the vehicle at night without taillights placed them in danger of death or serious bodily injury.
As a result, Taylor was charged with three counts of reckless endangerment, one count for each person riding in the truck bed.
A criminal complaint was filed on June 15 before Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker. Taylor is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on July 9.