Helena Mayor and Democratic U.S. Senate Candidate Wilmot Collins says he plans to plead guilty to careless driving charges Tuesday, and is defending himself on Twitter after being cited on that charge and and leaving the scene of an accident.
Helena’s Interim Police Chief Steve Hagen said in a statement today that officers responded to a hit-and-run call by a 35-year-old Butte woman who said the mayor rear-ended her vehicle near downtown Helena on Monday evening.
In a series of tweets posted this afternoon Collins said he,"made a mistake” on Monday night when he accidentally nudged the back of a car that was stopped in front of him. Collins said the contact was so light that he did not realize he’d made contact with the other vehicle.
Collins said he drove off, but pulled over when the driver of the other vehicle followed him and honked at him. He says the driver showed him, "very minor damage to her rear bumper," and that there was no damage to his car, and that the driver did not seem to be injured or hurt in any way.
Collins said the driver recognized him, that he gave her his card and he offered to pay for repairs at the shop of her choice. He says she, "seemed satisfied with my offer."
Collins tweeted that he plans to plead not-guilty to leaving the scene of the accident because he did not leave until after the other driver left.
