POLICE REPORTS
These items have been collected from various police departments.
Wednesday — Police charged Christopher A. Garis, 27, of Oakland Township with DUI in connection with a suspected hit-and-run wreck about 3:25 a.m. Oct. 12 on Mercer Street.An officer saw the defendant drive away from the crash scene and stopped him as he pulled into a garage in the 100 block of American Avenue, court documents said.Garis was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital for a blood test after failing several field sobriety tests. Toxicology results showed his blood-alcohol level was 0.178 percent.He is charged with DUI, hit-and-run and careless driving.Wednesday — Steven Newcomb, 59, of Butler was charged with drunken driving stemming from a crash about 7:51 p.m. Oct. 12. Police said Newcomb's pickup truck struck a parked car at East Cunningham and South Cliff streets.The suspect drove away. But officers 37 minutes later found the pickup in his driveway, court documents said. Police said when they talked to Benson he smelled of alcohol and appeared to be intoxicated.He was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital for a blood test, which later showed his blood-alcohol level was 0.164 percent.Benson is charged with DUI, hit-and-run and careless driving.10:30 p.m. Tuesday — Edward E. Scott Jr., 34, allegedly assaulted his girlfriend, Tricia Smith, during a domestic dispute at their home in the 200 block of Mercer Street.Scott is accused of throwing an unspecified object at Smith, hitting her in the face. Police said he also punched her in the face. Smith suffered minor injuries.Police charged Scott with simple assault.7:38 a.m. Tuesday — Shaun P. Doerr, 35, of Butler was arrested after a suspected drug-related disturbance at his home on Wyle Avenue.Police were called to the home and found the suspect “yelling and screaming” just inside an open garage door, according to court documents.Police said Doerr appeared under the influence. His mother, documents said, told officers that he had smoked crack cocaine in the house the previous night. When she caught him, he got angry and started throwing things and threatening her.Police arrested Doerr, who was searched and found with a suspected Suboxone strip and clonazepam pills.He is charged with possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, and public drunkenness.
Thursday — An unspecified amount of currency was found in the area of the Butler Township Municipal Building on South Duffy Road. The owner can claim the property by calling police at 724-285-9600.8:30 p.m. Tuesday — Shannon Dunn, 28, and Martha Keefer, 47, were caught allegedly shoplifting $456 in merchandise from the Walmart at Butler Commons.Both suspects are charged with retail theft, conspiracy, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief.
2:15 a.m. today — Jody M. Blystone, 42, of Rimersburg, Clarion County, was hurt when she lost control of her car on wet Center Drive in Oakland Township and crashed into an embankment about two-tenths of a mile south of Stein Road. The car traveled into a ditch and rolled onto its roof.Police said Blytone faces tickets for several traffic violations including driving with a suspended license, driving without insurance, driving an unregistered vehicle, driving too fast for conditions and a lane violation.10:45 Thursday — Two people were hurt in a two-vehicle wreck in Connoquenessing Township. The crash happened when a minivan driven by Dennis P. Wyant, 59, of Lyndora crossed into the oncoming lane while rounding a bend on Eagle Mill Road and collided with a sport utility vehicle.Wyant and the other driver, Zabrina M. Caldwell, 30, of Butler, were taken to Butler Memorial Hospital with minor and moderate injuries, respectively. Both drivers were wearing seat belts. Police cited Wyant for a lane violation.8:12 p.m. Wednesday — Two people were hurt when a car struck a sport utility vehicle that was disabled after hitting a deer in Center Township. Both drivers, Melvin D. Jack, 78, and Kimberly L. Keeling, 44, both of Butler, were taken to Butler Memorial Hospital with moderate injuries.Police said Keeling was traveling north on Route 8 just north of Mayfield Avenue about 8:05 p.m. when her SUV hit the deer, causing the vehicle to break down in the right lane. Seven minutes later, Jack, traveling north in his car, failed to see the disabled vehicle and struck it. Both drivers were wearing seat belts.Wednesday — Philip E. Benson, 44, of Butler was charged with driving under the influence stemming from a traffic stop about 9:35 p.m. Oct. 20 at West Cunningham Street and Second Avenue in Butler.Toxicology reports received Tuesday showed Benson's blood-alcohol level was 0.166 percent, according to court documents, or more than twice the state's 0.08 percent legal limit.In addition to DUI, police cited Benson for driving with a suspended license, driving with an open container of alcohol and not having a working brake light.Wednesday — Police reported that Prestige 1 Auto, a Donegal Township car dealer, faces several citations for failing to pay required taxes and fees and failing to submit required title transfers to the state Department of Transportation.Monday — An Oakland Township couple was bilked out of $4,500 in an apparent online scam.The victims, both 40 years old, responded to a for-sale advertisement on Craigslist for a 2013 Polaris Ranger. The purported sellers, in turn, asked the couple to send $4,500 through what appeared to be a legitimate Google Wallet website.Police said they would later determine that the website was fictitious.But even before sending any money, the couple spoke to the suspected scammer, who was “extremely convincing on the telephone,” according to a police report.Investigators noted that when the money cleared the couple's account, they again called Google Wallet to inquire when they would receive the all-terrain vehicle.The unknown con man e-mailed a picture of a Polaris Ranger and told (the wife) “to print it out and hang it on her wall,” the police report said.The investigation continues.Police, meanwhile, reminded the public to never buy an item without first seeing it in person, or to use an accredited website like eBay.1:54 p.m. Oct. 31 — Cars driven by Sally Ellison, 67, and John D. Giles, 44, both of Butler collided on Mercer Road just south of Route 8 in Center Township. After the collision, Giles' vehicle drifted backward, hitting a car driven by Raymond C. Stierer, 57, of Sewickley, Allegheny County, that was stopped in traffic.Police cited Ellison for a lane violation.
12:37 a.m. today — Edward Kiebler, 55, of Templeton was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence after police found him sleeping behind the wheel of his car in the left turn lane of Clearfield Pike at Route 85 in Rayburn Township.7 a.m. Wednesday — Rachel M. Lassinger, 20, of Freeport was hurt when the minivan she was driving hit a deer on Route 28 just west of Cadogan-Slate Lick Road in North Buffalo Township.Lassinger, who was wearing a seat belt, suffered a minor injury.
645 p.m. Oct. 30 — A sport utility vehicle driven by Gary A. Brenckle, 59, of Renfrew struck a deer on Route 422, just north of North Liberty Street in New Castle.