EAST MONTGOMERY COUNTY- The driver suspected of causing a fatal motorcycle crash Monday night in Porter was booked into the Montgomery County Jail in Conroe at 4:21 p.m. on Tuesday, after surrendering to Texas Department of Public Safety officials.
The accident resulted in the death of Douglas Berry Allen, Jr., 46, of Splendora.
DPS Trooper Andrew Papanos, who investigated the accident, said 21-year-old Jonathan David Porter of New Caney walked into that agency’s office at the Montgomery County Courthouse Annex on US 59 in New Caney sometime Tuesday afternoon.
“He came in of his accord,” Papanos said.
Porter’s vehicle was impounded by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office when it was found abandoned after the crash. Investigators were in the process of obtaining an arrest warrant for Porter before he surrendered, according to DPS Sgt. Derek Leitner.
Porter is charged with “failure to stop and render aid.” The offense is a third-degree felony, which is punishable by a term of two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Porter’s page on the popular social networking site, MySpace, states that he is a 2006 graduate of New Caney High School, currently attending Kingwood College. Porter’s page, last updated March 11, also states that he does not drink or smoke. Public Data shows Porter has no criminal record and lives off of FM 1485 with his parents and siblings.
The three-vehicle crash occurred just before 8 p.m. Monday on Loop 494 as Douglas Allen, Jr. waited for a break in traffic to turn into the parking lot of the Porter Sports Bar and Grill where his wife, Lori Allen, was working.
Douglas Allen was northbound in the 23300 block of Loop 494 on his Harley Davidson motorcycle when Papanos said a Honda sedan struck the motorcycle from the rear, forcing Allen into oncoming traffic, and into the path of a Chevy Tahoe.
“The white Tahoe struck the motorcycle and the rider with its front left (fender),” Papanos said. “The Honda fled the scene.”
Porter’s vehicle was discovered abandoned near the intersection of Hansen Rd. and West Rd. in a neighborhood about a mile from where the accident occurred. Witnesses told investigators a young white male fled on foot from the vehicle.
Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies impounded the four-door blue Mazda passenger car registered to Jonathan Porter.
As Porter allegedly ditched his car and vanished into the night, the Porter Fire Department, Montgomery County EMS, DPS and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office responded to the accident scene. Allen was beyond help.
“The motorcycle rider succumbed to his injuries,” Papanos said.
Two women and a small child occupied the Tahoe that struck Allen and his motorcycle. The women refused medical attention, but the child was transported to a local hospital for examination as a precaution, Papanos said.
Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace James Metts conducted an inquest and ordered the body taken to the Southeast Texas Forensic Center in Conroe for autopsy.
Loop 494 was shut down for hours a couple of blocks north of FM 1314 as DPS investigated the crash. Allen’s widow, family members and patrons of the bar and grill stood watching the surreal scene, which was illuminated by a Porter Fire engine.
Medics were called back to the location, sometime after the body was removed, to treat a distraught family member.
The DPS investigation is continuing.
