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LARKSVILLE — A Larksville firefighter who also works part time as an Edwardsville police officer will face even more charges after police say he tried to cover up a crash involving his friend on Dec. 21.
John Francis Fronzoni, 35, of Larksville, appeared before District Judge Diana Malast on Monday for a preliminary hearing on three counts of obstructing emergency services. The hearing was continued, as more charges are expected to be filed against Fronzoni.
Fronzoni’s attorney John B. Pike explained that the Deputy Attorney General presented a motion to amend the criminal charges to remove two of the obstruction charges and add new charges. The new charges to be filed include intimidation of witnesses, obstructing administration of law, hindering apprehension or prosecution and tampering with evidence and oppression.
Proper notice, however, was not given to the defense team.
As a result, Malast ruled that the criminal complaint be withdrawn and refiled reflecting the new charges. A date for the next preliminary hearing has not been set.
According to a criminal complaint, Larksville emergency personnel arrived on the scene of a crash where a vehicle struck a pole. The driver was identified as Bill Ritsick, who told officials that he was not injured. Fronzoni then allegedly arrived on the scene, and told Ritsick to sit inside his vehicle.
Fronzoni then allegedly told personnel to write “no patient contact” in the paperwork. When fire engineer Robert Palchanis was filling out an incident report, Fronzoni allegedly told him “to not totally fill out the report.” Palchanis allegedly said he could smell alcohol on Fronzoni while speaking to him.
Courtdale Police Officer Greg Johnson said Fronzoni advised him that Ritsick was his friend. Fronzoni allegedly told Johnson not to run the vehicle’s registration information, as he’d be getting a roll-back truck to remove the damaged car from the scene.
Fronzoni left the scene and returned with the roll-back truck driven by Billy Petriga, police say. Responding officers said that at no time did they request towing.
Petriga later told police Fronzoni grabbed him by his jacket and walked him to his auto shop to get the roll back truck, the complaint says. Police say Petriga reported that Fronzoni was in a hurry to get the vehicle out of the roadway.
Once on the scene of the crash, Petriga said he heard a police officer tell Fronzoni multiple times to “get out of here.”
Another responding firefighter told police that as Fronzoni walked by him he commented, “This accident never happened.”