Oct 23, 2018 1 min read

A Charleroi councilman charged with driving under the influence earlier this year was recently admitted to a pretrial diversionary program in Washington County Court.

Larry Celaschi, 58, was admitted to the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for 12 months last week by Judge John F. DiSalle. The admission requires a license suspension, according to the court docket in the case.

Police alleged Celaschi was found by a police officer passed out in the driver’s seat of his vehicle while it was stopped on a road in Centerville March 11.

Police said when they were able to rouse Celaschi, his vehicle drifted backward into a Centerville police cruiser. He was taken to an area hospital and refused to submit to a blood-alcohol test, according to court documents.

Admission to the ARD program, typically reserved for first-time, nonviolent offenders, does not require an admission of guilt. If the program is successfully completed, those who have been admitted can ask a judge to expunge their criminal record. As part of the ARD admission, citations for improperly stopping, disregarding traffic lanes, careless driving and failure to use a seat belt were dismissed.