Sep 20, 2012 6 min read

BUFFALO

Charged with DUI: Joseph Pastorok, 58, of 227 Albert St., Washington, was charged Wednesday by state police with driving under the influence of alcohol, having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle, public drunkenness and several traffic violations after a witness reported seeing him driving 15 mph on Interstate 70 near the Taylorstown exit, Buffalo Township, Sept. 1. The witness at first thought Pastorok was having a medical emergency, and when she offered assistance after he pulled over, she told police he appeared intoxicated. When police arrived, they said they determined his blood-alcohol content was more than double the 0.08 percent limit presumed for intoxication. Charges will be sent by summons from the office of District Judge Ethan Ward.

CALIFORNIA

Vehicle hits monument: Thomas A. Bush, 22, of 32 Hood St., Brownsville, was arrested early Saturday by California police after he reportedly drove his vehicle into a monument in the roundabout at Liberty and Fourth streets. Police said they found a six-pack of beer in the vehicle along with suspected crack. Charges of manufacture and possession of crack, driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving and careless driving will be sent by summons from the office of District Judge Joshua Kanalis.

Resident cited: California police cited Andrew Bogaski, 19, of 64 Rodgers Drive, Coraopolis, for violating the disorderly house ordinance after responding Sept. 7 to a report of a loud party on Park Street in the borough.

CANONSBURG

Trespass, disorderly charges: Cody Patnesky, 21, of 102 W. College St., Canonsburg, was charged Tuesday by Canonsburg police with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct for allegedly forcing his way into a home at 102 W. College St., and trying to remove an Xbox game system. He was arraigned before District Judge David Mark and placed in the Washington County jail on $5,000 bond.

Drug charges: Shelly K. Wood, 39, of 1206 Bruce St., Washington, was arraigned Tuesday on charges including possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia and criminal conspiracy stemming from a June 1 incident in a parking lot off Bobby Vinton Boulevard. Canonsburg police said she had packets of heroin hidden in her bra. She was arraigned before District Judge David Mark and placed in the Washington County jail on $5,000 bond.

Card information used: Karen Mazza of Canonsburg told borough police Tuesday that her credit card number was used to make purchases without her permission.

CANTON

Faces charge: Summer Morris, 24, of Washington, will be charged by state police with failure to notify them after her vehicle hit a guide wire on Griffith Avenue at Euclid Avenue, Canton, early Sunday.

FALLOWFIELD

Burglary reports: State police said a .40-caliber handgun was reported stolen about 11 p.m. Tuesday from Dave Weaver of Charleroi during a break-in at 38 Moyer Ave. Sheila Metzner also reported to state police a burglary that day at 4:30 p.m. at 156 Lover Jonestown Road.

NORTH FRANKLIN

Disorderly, burning charges: Donald L. Snow Jr., 46, of 205 Roosevelt St., North Franklin, was charged Tuesday by North Franklin police with disorderly conduct and an open burning violation. Firefighters from three municipalities were called about 4:30 p.m. to his home. Police discovered he was burning rubber coating off wire and had started a fire next to his home.

Card information stolen: Scott Iams of North Franklin told township police Thursday his debit card information was used to make purchases in Miami, Fla.

PETERS

Missing phone: A student at Peters Township High School reported her $200 iPhone missing, township police said. The student left her vehicle in the high school parking lot and she might have dropped the phone before entering the school between 7 and 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, police said. She did not realize the phone was missing until later in the day, and when she called the phone there was an “ignore” message, police said. The phone was reported missing at 3:21 p.m. Tuesday.

SOUTH FRANKLIN

Escapes injury: Tony Helmick, 21, of Washington, escaped injury Tuesday morning when his vehicle went off Moore Road at Brookhaven Avenue, South Franklin, and hit a utility pole and Verizon utility box, state police said. He will be charged with driving under suspension and failure to drive at a safe speed.

One-vehicle crash: Holly R. Garner, 24, of Washington, suffered injuries of unknown severity when she lost control of her car about 10 a.m. Tuesday on Old Scales Road, when she swerved to avoid striking a deer near Vaneal Road, and her vehicle veered off the road and struck a tree stump, state police said.

SPEERS

One-car crash: Kali R. Peroni, 19, of Eighty Four, suffered moderate injuries about 9:20 p.m. Tuesday when she crashed her car into a concrete barrier along Interstate 70 west at the Speers exit, state police said.

WASHINGTON

Scam attempt: City police received a complaint about 10 a.m. Tuesday from a resident of Lewis Avenue that a female pretending to be her granddaughter, who attends California University of Pennsylvania, placed two calls to the grandparents asking for as much as $4,000 to bail her out of jail. The resident recognized the attempt as a scam, and no money was provided.

Burglary attempt: Lauri Naser told city police about 8:15 a.m. Tuesday she found the front door and its lock damaged when she arrived to work at Station Capital, 111 Washington St. Police said they received a similar report of a burglary attempt last week in the same area.

Items stolen: William Rogers of 469 Third St. told police someone stole two lawn rakes, work gloves, a box of dog treats and other miscellaneous items from his back porch Monday.

WEST FINLEY

Faces DUI charge: David Martin, 32, of West Alexander, was injured Saturday night when his pickup truck went off Old Brick Road near Beham Ridge Road, West Finley, went airborne and got stuck in a tree. State police said he was driving north when he failed to negotiate a bend. His truck went off the road and hit a small tree that bent over and acted like a ramp. The truck was vaulted forward over an embankment, where it hit and became lodged in a large tree. The truck had to be stabilized before Martin could be removed. Police say Martin faces a charge of driving under the influence. Assisting at the scene were West Finley firefighters.