Nov 23, 2019 2 min read

Washington Councilman Matthew Staniszewski was taken to jail Friday morning following a preliminary hearing before District Judge Ethan Ward on his August DUI arrest in Washington.

The hearing was continued until 1:30 p.m. Dec. 6., and his bail was set at $25,000, according to his attorney Sean Logue. Logue indicated that the bond was set due to previous DUI convictions.

“Plea negotiations are still ongoing,” Logue said.

Staniszewski, who was dressed in a three-piece suit for the Friday hearing, deferred any comments to Logue. Logue said they didn’t ask for a continuance but that the court needed more time to review documents on all that Staniszewski has done with rehabilitation.

“He’s clean and sober, and he can’t wait to get back to work for the city,” Logue said.

Logue said Staniszewski and his father, Dave Staniszewski, who accompanied his son to the hearing, posted the bond Friday after arriving at the jail.

“He’s not a flight risk,” Logue said. “He’s a dedicated public servant.”

Staniszewski was charged with DUI and restrictions on alcoholic beverages following his Aug. 26 arrest, when he was found unconscious behind the wheel on East Wheeling Street about 1:13 p.m. His car was blocking traffic, and there were bottles of liquor on the floor, according to court documents.

He eventually was released to his father’s custody that day, and the charges were sent by summons. He started an inpatient treatment program Sept. 3 at DreamLife in Donegal, and recently returned to City Council meetings earlier this month.

“He is taking full responsibility for his actions,” Logue said. “He’s sorry for wasting the taxpayers’ money and endangering the public.”

This is Staniszewski’s fourth DUI arrest since 2004, two of which happened during his first term on City Council. In 2007, he crashed a vehicle in North Strabane Township with a blood-alcohol content of 0.29%. He was also cited for public drunkenness in February 2018 in North Strabane.