Carroll woman charged in crash at fire department
A Carroll Township woman faces several charges filed last week by Monongahela police after she allegedly hit a basketball hoop and garage door with her vehicle at Valley Inn Fire Department, then almost hit a man when he tried to stop her from leaving the parking lot.
Donnette L. Ritenour, 46, of 162 Van Voorhis Lane, is charged with fleeing or attempting to elude police, driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless endangerment, obstructing administration of law, false identity to police, public drunkenness, damage to unattended property and careless driving.
Monongahela police were called about 9:45 p.m. Sept. 8 to handle a report of a reckless driver on Dry Run Road for Carroll Township police because Carroll officers were unable to respond. Police then learned the vehicle had pulled into the fire department lot, striking the hoop and door.
When police arrived, an officer saw several firefighters and others holding the driver’s car door open.
The driver, identified as Ritenour, looked at the officer as he ran toward the car.
She allegedly revved the engine and tried to slam it into gear, moving forward about two feet as a man was reaching in, trying to remove the keys.
Police reached into the vehicle, removed the keys from the ignition, grabbed Ritenour by the arm and asked her to get out of the car.
Police said her speech was slurred and she smelled of an alcoholic beverage.
Police said she would not listen to commands to turn around.
Inside her car, police said they found unopened cans of beer.
Ritenour allegedly refused to submit to field-sobriety testing and called the officer derogatory names. She was taken to Monongahela Valley Hospital, where police said she refused to submit to a blood-alcohol test.
Charges were sent by summons from the office of District Judge James Ellis. Ritenour is scheduled for an Oct. 17 hearing before Ellis.