CRANBERRY TWP — An Ohio man allegedly changed his insurance policy after he was involved in an accident in the township and then attempted to make a claim.

Tyler L. Collins, 25, of Lake Milton, Ohio, is charged with making false insurance claims and theft by deception or false impression, both felony counts.

According to a criminal complaint filed Thursday by the Office of the Attorney General, investigators were notified of potential fraud after Collins was involved in a vehicle accident on Aug. 14, 2018.

Documents indicate Collins made a change to his policy at 6:48 a.m. that morning, removing a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am and replacing it with a 2015 Kia Optima. The other person in the accident said she was rear-ended, and that the accident occurred at 6:30 a.m. A Cranberry Township police report indicates the time of the crash as 6:28 a.m., and officers indicated Collins was the “at-fault driver.”

The driver of the other vehicle said she was sitting in traffic when she was rear-ended by Collins. She told investigators she was not injured at the time of the accident, and believed she could drive the vehicle from the scene. She was told the insurance card had expired, and when she asked Collins about it, he asked for her to “wait until later” before submitting a claim.

The driver told Collins she would not wait to file the claim, and that she had called the police. He reportedly told her that he did not have time to wait and left the scene.

Police later spoke to Collins, who showed them a valid insurance card via his cell phone.

Collins told insurance agents the accident had occurred after he had changed his policy. The complaint notes more than $2,000 in damage was done to the two vehicles, and the insurance company denied the claim. The other driver paid a $500 deductible for the approximately $4,000 worth of work for her car.

In an interview with investigators, Collins allegedly told police he had changed the insurance coverage after the accident.

Collins was arraigned Thursday and released on $10,000 unsecured bond. A May 15 preliminary hearing is scheduled.