Washtenaw County commissioner candidate sentenced to probation in hit-and-run
An Ann Arbor man seeking a seat on the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners was sentenced to probation for leaving the scene of an injury crash involving a pedestrian.
Joe Baublis, a Republican vying for the open 11th District commissioner seat vacated by State Representative hopeful Jeff Irwin, received six months of probation on the misdemeanor conviction, court records show.
Prosecutors agreed to drop a felony count of leaving the scene of an injury crash when Baublis pleaded guilty last month. District Judge Elizabeth Pollard Hines also ordered him to serve six days of community service.
But Joe Simon, Baublis’ attorney, said that while his client accepts responsibility for not "representing himself" to officers at the scene of the April 19 crash, he did not flee.
He said Baublis was attempting to turn onto East Stadium Boulevard from Packard Road in heavy traffic when someone ran out in front of him and hit the passenger side window with an elbow. The window shattered.
Baublis, 50, was stunned after the crash and turned into the nearby gas station parking lot, Simon said. He exited the vehicle and watched emergency responders treat the pedestrian, who had a badly injured arm. Huron Valley Ambulance paramedics took the 17-year-old boy to the University of Michigan Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries.
Baublis only spoke with officers after witnesses to the collision pointed him out.
“He was completely stunned, startled and dazed,” Simon said. “He did not represent himself to officers who were there, and that’s what he’s taking responsibility for.”
Baublis is a first-time candidate who ran unopposed in the August party primary. He faces Democrat Yousef Rabhi on Nov. 2.
Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
Comments
Markus Erant
Sun, Sep 12, 2010 : 6:29 p.m.
So you don't know who hit whom although it appears that a pedestrian ran into his car, but you do know that he didn't flee, and you do know that he admits responsibility for not "representing himself" and you do know that the judge dismissed the felony H&R charge so he didn't hit anybody or run. If the H&R was dismissed then why is AA.COM still reporting the matter as a H&R? Do you know whether the police, the city attorney, or the city administrator or democrat party operatives have a grudge against him? Did the police lie? Why did the police make public comments to AA.COM on the matter while it was still being investigated? Didn't that preclude the option for a jury trial? Or was that just a public smear by an authoritatitve official with an opposing political agenda? Have you seen his website joebaublis.com? Do you know why he's running for office? Did you know that he recently produced a documentary on Ann Arbor's Community Access Television Network? What's the real story?
tracyann
Sat, Sep 11, 2010 : 11:56 a.m.
I agree with the shattered window thing. You'd have to hit it pretty hard to do that, however, as I was walking across the Diag toward the bus stop the other day, I noticed a student running at high speed across the Diag and out onto State right in front of cars. He almost got hit.
Jay Allen
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 8:34 a.m.
jondhall. I second that. Something is a muck here.
Wondering
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 8:32 a.m.
A very interesting story. On the face of it, with the very small number of details provided in the article, it would seem exceedingly difficult for a passenger side window of an auto to be shattered by a pedestrian's elbow during a pedestrian-auto interaction caused by the driver, especially if the auto was turning a corner in heavy traffic. It is perhaps understandable that Mr. Baublis might be in shock--the events, at least as described in the article, do seem highly improbable physically. If I were Mr. Baublis (even though I'm not a Republican;) ), intuition might suggest that an accident specialist looking into the details of this accident further might be very helpful. The important issue here might not be whether Mr. Baublis represented himself to police, but rather how an elbow of a walking (or even running) pedestrian negotiating heavy traffic could have shattered the driver's side window of an auto.....the momentum is all with the car.......it would seem that a walking/running pedestrian in an accident interaction with an auto (especially if both the auto and the pedestrian were negotiating heavy traffic) would not normally have enough momentum to cause that kind of damage to a side window of an auto......
robyn
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 12:45 a.m.
Weird - if someone runs out in front of you - wouldn't they be hit by the front part of the car? How do you hit someone with the side of your car - passenger side window is approximately in the middle of the side of the car, that would mean the pedestrian hit the car... If I was making a turn and someone's arm smashed my window I'd probably think they did it purposely for some reason. But I'd be the one calling the cops.
Ricebrnr
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 7:39 p.m.
Great, assault with a deadly weapon gets less than a slap on the wrist. Lovely.
scooter dog
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 3:36 p.m.
One would expect nothing more from the judges we have.
jondhall
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 2:25 p.m.
Interesting story, wonder what the real truth is?
genericreg
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 : 12:42 p.m.
That will teach him. Six days service!