Investigators say Spokane woman lied about car crash to insurance company

Authorities accuse a Spokane woman of committing fraud after allegedly bilking her automobile insurance out of more than $11,000 after lying about her involvement in a hit-and-run accident.

Deborah Evelyn Parker, 49, pleaded not guilty to a single count of insurance fraud in Lincoln County District Court last month. The charge stems from a May 16, 2018 incident at a bar near the Idaho border, according to court documents.

Parker allegedly contacted USAA that same day and told the insurance company that she had struck a deer with her a 2009 Nissan Murano. Representatives with USAA deemed Parker’s vehicle a total loss and paid out more than $11,000.

But the claim was reopened in August, when representatives of State Farm contacted USAA to report that Parker’s vehicle had struck a client’s vehicle. According to court documents, around that time a representative from Geico also corresponded with USAA with a similar report. Both the Gieco and State Farm clients indicated the accident occurred on May 16, according to court documents.

The USAA representative examining the claim contacted Montana Highway Patrol, which had a report of the incident. According to that document, the motorists involved with the accident spoke with Parker at the scene. When she learned that authorities were on their way, she fled.

One of the motorists involved snapped photographs of Parker’s vehicle before she left the area, court documents said.

Troopers with the Montana Highway Patrol later issued citations for reckless driving and failure to identify.

Parker denied her involvement in a hit-and-run when the Montana State Auditor’s office got involved in the investigation. According to court documents, Parker told investigators she could not recall what happened, but was sure she hit an animal.

She claimed the accident left her concussed, court documents said. She could not explain how the victims got her name or took a photo of her vehicle. According to court documents, Parker said that she lost her license in the accident and speculated the victims may have found it.

“She said she did not recall where she was when the accident occurred,” the investigation report reads. “She said she did not know why people would say that she had struck their cars, as her vehicle was not drivable after she hit the animal.”

When she received tickets stemming from the accident, Parker told investigators she got scared, but planned to return to Lincoln County to sort them out. And when an individual purporting to be from USAA contacted her regarding the claim, she assumed it was a joke, court documents said.

In a second conversation with investigators, Parker said, “she did not understand why people were saying she had been involved in a hit and run accident,” according to court documents. She allowed that she might have struck a stump or guardrail, investigators recalled.

Upon learning USAA was refuting her story, Parker allegedly hung up.

According to the narrative compiled by the Montana Highway Patrol, Parker allegedly struck the two vehicles while trying to navigate around the rear of the drinking establishment. The two vehicles were parked outside their owners’ residence, which was behind the bar.

The victims then confronted Parker. One began filming the conversation while the other told Parker she would contact authorities, according to the Montana Highway Patrol report.

At that, Parker allegedly grew “verbally abusive and aggressive,” the report said. She then departed the scene.

Parker is due back in court June 15 for an omnibus hearing.