Waynesboro couple scheduled to appear in court today

By Cleve Wiese

Published: May 13, 2008

A Waynesboro couple accused of pressuring one of their son’s friends to commit perjury in the wake of a fatal Dec. 12 car crash near Crimora are scheduled to appear in court today.
Emil and Gloria Steidel are both facing felony counts of inducing another to perjure for allegedly persuading passenger Zachary Carpenter, 20, to make a false statement a month after the accident indicating that their 18-year-old son Jason Steidel was not behind the wheel. Another passenger in the car, Timothy Moran, 19, died after being ejected from the vehicle.
Carpenter reversed course a short time later, returning to the magistrate to claim that Jason Steidel was the driver after all and that his parents had pressured him into signing the previous statement.
Felony charges against Jason Steidel of driving under the influence and involuntary manslaughter were certified to a grand jury April 10. 
A joint preliminary hearing for Emil and Gloria Steidel is scheduled for 2:15 in Augusta County General District Court.