Hit-and-run suspect first told cops his female friend did it, police say

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A 21-year-old Olympia man allegedly ran his car off of the road, down an embankment and into a group of trees after leaving a local tavern last Sat., Sept. 18, at about 1 a.m. Then he walked home, leaving the car where it landed, according to the Olympia police report.

The vehicle was left at the 2900 block of Boston Harbor Rd NE and called into dispatch on Sun., Sept. 19, just before 10 a.m., where the respondent was concerned about the driver's safety.

Olympia Police arrived at the scene and found the car approximately 15 feet down an embankment. No one was in the car, so they checked the license plate database to get the address of its owner.  They traveled to the address, approximately 1.5 miles away. 

Robert Ian Genster, 21, came to his front door and told law enforcement that his friend, "Shea" had been driving. According to Genster, "Shea" had caused to accident, then asked her mother to drive "Shea" and Genster home.

According to the police report, Genster changed his story when an officer pointed out the smell of intoxicants from his breath as he spoke. They also referred to the red marks on his bare chest, consistent with a seat belt from the driver's side of the vehicle, not the passenger's side, as Genster had claimed.

"Okay, you got me," Genster told OPD.

Genster admitted to being the vehicle's driver and told police he left the 4th Avenue Tavern at 1 a.m. the night before. He said he lost control of the car, sending it over the embankment as he headed back toward Boston Harbor. He admitted to being the vehicle's sole occupant and made "Shea" up as a cover story.

Genster was cited for hit and run unattended and released at his home.

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