CAMDEN — An abandoned vehicle that was found at the bottom of a pond on Monday, June 26, was being driven by Jason Worley, age 42, according to Chief Deputy Michael Spitler of the Preble County Sheriff’s Office.

On Monday, it was believed the driver lost control of the vehicle while traveling eastbound on Ohio 725 on Sunday night. Worley fled the scene without calling for help.

The Preble County Sheriff’s Office received the call at approximately 12:45 p.m. on Monday, June 26, of a vehicle submerged in a pond on Ohio 725 between Quaker Trace and Wayne Trace Roads. The Sheriff’s Office was joined by other emergency personnel as they waited for Task Force One Dive 60 Public Safety Dive Team to arrive.

When first reporting to the scene, PCSO officials did not know whether there was a person in the pond. Spitler added, the pond was “quite murky down towards the car” and he foresaw some difficulties recovering the vehicle.

At the scene, Deputy Spitler said they did not know exactly what time the car went into the pond. He added, “Through investigation and talking to the neighbors, we believe it was sometime during the night. Although they did not see the vehicle go into the pond, they witnessed the vehicle travel into a ditch line and heard a noise, they looked outside and did not see headlights. They did not investigate any further. Today, when looking at the tracks they followed it to the pond. That is when they saw the vehicle.”

Once officials did recover the vehicle, they soon learned the identity of Worley and that he had left the car in the pond. The department verified that he was unharmed and that nobody else was involved.

As for why Worley abandoned the vehicle, at press time, Spitler reported, “Worley indicated that he was afraid to tell the police what happened. He was cited for failure to control, seat belt, and a DUS — driving under suspension.”

There was no indication that Worley was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time the crash took place, according to officials.