BUTLER TWP — A suspected drugged driver was arrested Tuesday night after he crashed a rented sports utility vehicle into a house in the 200 block of Old Plank Road.

Township police nabbed Kurtis S. Wentling, 33, no known address, after he fled, leaving behind his 20-year-old injured passenger, according to investigators. He took off on foot but officers within 30 minutes captured him hiding in a shed near the crash scene. Police found him with heroin and suspected he was impaired by drugs.

Earlier that day, Butler police said, Wentling led city officers on a high-speed chase in a different SUV. He got away after losing police.

When the crash happened about 10:20 p.m., there were five people in the house but no one was injured. The impact lifted the house off its foundation, according to the renters there, Chris and Michelle Soldati.

Michelle Soldati said she heard an engine revving before the crash, and the Jeep was likely airborne since the tire tracks only started halfway through the driveway. She also said Wentling's vehicle took out a shrub on the edge of the driveway.

A full report is in Wednesday's Butler Eagle.

Wentling