Jun 16, 2014 2 min read

A Coal Center woman who was pulled from the wreckage of her vehicle before it caught fire earlier this month in Long Branch was charged Thursday by California police with driving under the influence of alcohol, criminal mischief and driving an unregistered vehicle.

The charges against Rene R. Geho, 49, of 7 DeBlassio Drive, will be sent by summons from the office of District Judge Joshua Kanalis. Police said her blood-alcohol content will not be known until test results are returned from the state police crime laboratory.

Police were called about 1:15 a.m. June 4 for a one-vehicle crash with live power lines down. While en route, the dispatch center alerted police the car was still smoking with the driver inside the vehicle. A second update reported the vehicle was engulfed in flames.

When police arrived, a witness told the officer that the driver, later identified as Geho, was on the ground unconscious next to the car. The witness, Jeremy Berish, told police he saw the car start smoking.

Geho was unconscious, so he pulled her out and she fell to the ground.

Officer Alyssa Brown was able to walk around the vehicle to avoid the downed wires and pull Geho away as the car burned. Brown and Charleroi Regional police Officer William Gardner were able to carry Geho to a yard.

Geho was taken to Monongahela Valley Hospital for treatment. California firefighters arrived to put out the fire.

Police said Geho’s vehicle also struck a concrete retaining wall on property owned by Janae Layhue at 232 Dally Road before hitting the utility pole. Police determined Geho initially lost control of the vehicle in front of 247 Dally, then drove through a yard at 234 Dally before hitting the wall.

Geho is set for a July 15 preliminary hearing before Kanalis.