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By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor
HART — Criminal charges against a driver involved in a fatal crash in Greenwood Township, July 10, have not yet been filed as the prosecutor’s office awaits lab results.
Joseph Edward Sayers, 79, of Twin Lake died following a two-vehicle crash on South 192nd Avenue near East White Road that had occurred July 10, around 4:30 p.m., said Oceana County Sheriff Craig Mast. Sayers died from his injuries, July 23.
The driver of the other vehicle, 24-year-old Hannah Lynn Fessenden, “crossed the centerline, causing a head-on crash with (Sayers),” states an Oceana County Sheriff’s Office traffic crash report. The report states that Fessenden “admitted to using marijuana prior to driving.”
“We’re still waiting for the lab results to come back on that before any final decision is made,” said Oceana County Prosecuting Attorney Joseph Bizon Friday, Aug. 28. “Typically, when we’re talking alcohol, it’s two to three weeks. But when we’re talking about substances, it’s usually four to six weeks or more. It’s entirely dependent on the lab.”
Typically, samples from Oceana County are sent to the Michigan State Police forensics lab in Grand Rapids.
The report indicates that Mr. Sayers was not wearing a seatbelt. Both drivers were pinned in their vehicles.
Peggy Rae Sayers, 74, who was a passenger in the 2024 Ford Expedition that Sayers was driving, received minor injuries, the report states.
There were no passengers in the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze that Fessenden was driving.
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