A routine traffic accident investigation took a bizarre turn on October 16, 2026, when two men repeatedly swapped stories about who was behind the wheel in an attempt to shield an unlicensed driver from the law.

According to a Crossville Police Department incident report, officers responded to a collision near Sonic and 3B Financial involving a white Ford F-150 utility truck and a second vehicle.

When officers arrived, Jacob Hale claimed he was merely a passenger, while another man stepped forward, initially claiming he had been driving the truck. However, the narrative quickly unraveled. The other driver involved in the crash informed police that the man claiming to be the driver hadn’t even been in the vehicle during the collision and had just walked over from the nearby Sonic parking lot.

Suspicions grew when officers discovered the substitute driver’s personal vehicle parked at Sonic, where a family member had dropped him off. Faced with mounting discrepancies and after being read their Miranda rights, the substitute man recanted his story, admitting he was asked to take the fall because Hale lacked a valid license.

Hale, meanwhile, shifted his story back and forth—insisting he wasn’t the driver until he was placed into custody, at which point he confessed that he was driving. Dispatch records revealed that Hale’s driver’s license was revoked for DUI.

Hale was transported to the Justice Center and served with warrants for False Report and Driving on a Revoked License. The utility truck was released to the substitute man on behalf of the company.