A Lansdale man who allegedly fled the scene of a motorcycle crash in Hatfield in April, leaving a woman behind with a fractured skull and traumatic head injuries, had charges of felony accidents involving death or injury while unlicensed and accidents involving death and personal injury withdrawn at a preliminary hearing on Tuesday.
Other charges against Richard Raymond Moats, 29, were held over for county court, including misdemeanor accidents involving damage to property, and numerous summary offenses including careless driving involving serious bodily injury, reckless driving, improper passing on the right, driving with a suspended or revoked license, failure to report an accident to police, driving without a license, use of the improper class of license, driving an unregistered vehicle, driving without valid inspection and insurance, and driving without a helmet, per court records.
At 9:52 p.m. April 20, Hatfield Police responded to a motorcycle crash with injuries at Bethlehem Pike and Bergey Road. Upon arrival, they found Bucks County EMS tending to a woman laying on a grass island on the right side of the roadway at the Bethlehem Pike exit to Bergey’s Showroom, 2888 Bethlehem Pike, police said.
The victim had blood on her face, arms and chest and was yelling in pain and unable to answer basic questions, per the affidavit. Witnesses told police she had been the passenger on the back of a motorcycle that had crashed on Bethlehem Pike, according to the report.
The victim was eventually taken to Grand View Hospital for treatment of injuries, police said.
The black Harley-Davidson was leaking gas and had severe damage across its body. Witnesses told police the male driver, identified as Moats, had fled to the rear of Bergey’s Electric because he said, “I have to pee,” police allege.
Police walked to the rear of the building and searched around the entire building and did not find Moats, police said.
When police inquired PennDOT on the motorcycle’s registration, there was no record found, police said. The VIN of the motorcycle was registered to a man in Essington, Pa., per the report.
The victim told police at Grand View Hospital that she was riding on a motorcycle with a man named “Chardo,” per the affidavit.
Officers visited the victim’s residence and spoke with her family, who told police she had been picked up on April 20 by a man named “Chardo” on his motorcycle, according to the report. Via Ring doorbell video, police saw the Harley-Davidson enter the driveway with a man wearing a maroon sweatshirt and black helmet, with long hair, police said.
The helmet was worn by the victim during the crash, police said.
The victim’s family pointed police to a friend of hers, who told police “Chardo” was a nickname for a man who lived in Lansdale, and he had long hair, a reddish-brown beard, and tattoos on both arms, police said.
Police were provided with a Snapchat profile of “Chardo Moats” and found a photo of a black Harley-Davidson motorcycle in a driveway, per the complaint, and discovered Moats’ real name.
A search of Moats’ PennDOT license records revealed his license expired Dec. 19, 2016 and he did not have a Class M endorsement or permit, police said. Furthermore, his license was suspended for DUI, per the complaint.
Two days after the crash, police interviewed the victim at Grand View Hospital, where she said Richard Moats was driving the motorcycle, police said.
According to authorities, Moats, three friends, and the victim were riding motorcycles southbound on Bethlehem Pike, when Moats, police allege, tried to pass his friend’s motorcycle through the delineators on the roadway and lost control.
Moats’ motorcycle hit the ground and slid down Bethlehem Pike, police said. The victim lost her memory of everything after the crash, per the report. The victim was interviewed again a month later, and recounted the same information.
Surveillance video from Bergey’s Electric, police said, not only captured the crash at the intersection, but also showed a white male with long hair and a reddish-brown beard run to the rear of the building. Moats, police said, took off his sweatshirt and then ran west into the woods.
The victim, police said, suffered a traumatic subdural hematoma, traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage, a skull fracture, multiple abrasions to her back, legs, arms and face, an occipital scalp laceration, concussion, and possible broken elbow.
Police contacted the original owner of the motorcycle, who told them he sold it on March 27, 2023 to a man named “Chardo” via Facebook, per the affidavit, and showed proof of the title transfer.
Police attempted to contact Moats with no success.
A warrant was issued for his arrest June 25, 2024, per court records, and he was arraigned June 30.
Moat is represented by attorney William Buchanan of Quakertown.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
