State police locate accused driver of stolen car involved in Butler County hit-and-run

BUTLER, Pa. — UPDATE 11/29/23:

State police said Philpot was taken into custody in Butler City on Tuesday.

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INITIAL COVERAGE:

Pennsylvania State police have found a vehicle that they say was stolen from Butler County and then later involved in a hit-and-run.

Police started searching for the 2015 white Buick Verano with Pennsylvania plate MDL-4500 on Monday, along with alleged driver Donovan Michael Philipot. The car was located on Tuesday, but Philipot was not with the vehicle.

Philpot was also involved in a hit-and-run crash that involved the stolen car around 8 a.m. Monday morning in Jefferson Township, according to state police.

Police said Philpot was last seen wearing a Jamaican flag zip-up hoodie and is believed to no longer have facial hair as pictured above.

Angel Kurtz has lived at the intersection of Bonniebrook Road and Great Belt Road for a decade. She says she’s witnessed over 15 crashes there.

Monday morning’s hit-and-run crash is a bit different, however.

“Woke up and I saw everything out there before my coffee,” Kurtz said. “The only car that was damaged was that white SUV and the back was just..you could tell it was rear-ended decently.”

While the hunt is on for Philpot, Kurtz says she’s hoping this crash will prompt the township to take notice and beef up safety measures at the intersection by adding blinking lights.

“Things can be prevented by just something so little like that,” Kurtz said.

Anyone with information is asked to call state police in Butler at 724-284-8100.

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