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Why wasn't Brian Scanlan, who won election to the office that week, ticketed for the accident until four days later? Did law enforcement investigate the cause? Can he still take office in January?

мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ reached out to Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck for answers to some of those questions.

Schenck said his office, assisted by New York State Police, responded to the scene of the crash, 12 Fairway Drive, at about 8:30 that night. Officers interviewed Dr. Cyndy King, who told мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ her Subaru was a total loss due to the damage. Callers said the car was struck by a red truck, Schenck continued, and King told officers that before they arrived the truck drove by again.

Officers also checked the area for the red truck and interviewed residents of a nearby home where several vehicles were parked, Schenck said. They denied knowing who was driving the truck.

The next day, Schenck continued, a deputy received a voicemail from an attorney representing someone involved in the crash. When the deputy arrived for work that evening he contacted the attorney, who said they had been retained by Scanlan. The sheriff's office first made contact with the clerk-elect at 10:30 Wednesday morning, Schenck said, when the attorney brought his client there.

"Being that Scanlan had retained him, we could not interview him, nor contact him unless we went through his counsel," the sheriff said.

That morning, Scanlan confirmed he was the driver of the red truck and was ticketed for leaving the scene of an accident, which is categorized by New York state law as a violation. Upon conviction, it carries a fine of up to $250, a $93 surcharge and three points on a driver's license, Schenck said. Scanlan will appear in Owasco Town Court at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28.

Due to the nature of the accident, the sheriff's office could not determine whether alcohol was a factor, Schenck said.Ìý

However, the owner of the Fairway Drive house where the accident took place hopes that will be determined. Attorney Joe Camardo, whose mother's funeral that weekend brought King to the area from North Carolina, told мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼ this week he intends to pursue civil action against Scanlan. He might petition the Cayuga County district attorney to seek further criminal action as well.

"(King) is traumatized over this whole thing," Camardo said.Ìý

Noting Fairway Drive has a 30 mph speed limit and his house is located about 275 feet from a stop sign, Camardo called Scanlan "a maniac." The attorney said he also intends to keep Scanlan from taking the clerk's office in January. His ability to do so after the accident is another question it has raised. But the violation is not disqualifying, as he has not yet been sworn in.

If the accident took place after Scanlan took the oath of office, it still wouldn't have been disqualifying, according to the .Ìý

Scanlan has not responded to a request for comment by мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼. An independent endorsed by the Cayuga County Democratic Committee, the retired Auburn firefighter won election with 42.6% of the vote, defeating Conservative candidate Kristine Lytle and Republican candidate Chris Petrus after a competitive three-way race. He will succeed longtime Clerk Sue Dwyer.