By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

Zachary Alan Naish

Shalee Renee Mangun

NORTH WEBSTER — Two people were recently arrested after leaving the scene of a vehicle accident in which a church bell was damaged.

Zachary Alan Naish, 28, 7889 E. CR 1000N, Syracuse; and Shalee Renee Mangun, 28; are each charged with leaving the scene of an accident with serious bodily injury, a level 6 felony. Naish also faces a Level 6 institutional criminal mischief charge and Mangun is also charged with assisting a criminal, a level 6 felony.

On Aug. 8, a North Webster Police officer responded to a report of a vehicle that left the scene of an accident at the North Webster United Methodist Church. The officer spoke with church representatives, who said the church’s bell had been knocked over, causing damage to the bell, bricks and structure. The church bell is used during religious ceremonies at the church and the cost to repair the damage is between $10,000 and $20,000.

The church representatives also provided the officer with security video of the incident. According to court documents, the video shows a black Fort Explorer pull into the parking lot. A woman, later identified as Mangun, exits the vehicle and looks around the area. Naish was driving the vehicle at the time of the incident. Mangun is then shown getting back into the vehicle and Naish drives forward, slamming the vehicle into the church bell and structure.

Naish then exited the vehicle and looked at the damage while helping Mangun out of the vehicle. Mangun was visibly injured due to the accident. Security footage showed Mangun getting into the driver’s seat, with both Naish and Mangun leaving the scene. Neither of them made an attempt to contact the church about the damage and law enforcement was not contacted by either Naish or Mangun about the accident.

The North Webster officer identified both Naish and Mangun from an earlier crash investigation involving both parties near the same location in the same vehicle.

Investigators also identified the vehicle as belonging to Mangun.

Later in the afternoon, the officer learned of a crash investigated in Noble County involving both Naish and Mangun. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the Noble County incident was not a new accident but a report of a disabled vehicle.

Mangun told officers that she was a passenger at the time of the collision at the church. She also had visible injuries to her face which were a result of the collision with the church bell. The impact of the crash deployed the vehicle’s airbags.

Both Naish and Mangun were booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on Sept. 23.