Charles Schweinsberg

A suspected drunken driver is accused of running from police after they caught him driving a stolen vehicle in Center Township.

Charles D. Schweinsberg, 37, of Butler, is behind bars on a list of charges including three felonies.

Trooper Samantha Thompson was on patrol about 5:20 p.m. Friday when she spotted a green, 2003 Subaru Legacy speed past her on Mahood Road, state police said. The sport utility vehicle caught her eye for another reason.

The vehicle matched the description of one that Thompson knew had been reported stolen the night before from the Bruin Service Station on Main Street in Bruin.

The trooper made a U-turn and began a pursuit. The suspect vehicle ran a stop sign at Mahood Road and Sunset Drive, police said, before it turned onto Tuck Lane.

The vehicle stopped at a home, police said, and the driver, later identified as Schweinsberg, got out and took off running. In the vehicle, he left behind a container of beer.

Another trooper subsequently found the defendant on Hines Road, and took him into custody. Police said he smelled of alcohol.

When police searched Schweinsberg, they said the found a bank card in the name of the owner of the stolen vehicle.

The suspect later allegedly refused to submit to a breath test at the barracks in Butler Township.

District Judge Dave Kovach arraigned Schweinsberg on two counts of receiving stolen property and one count of flight to avoid apprehension or prosecution, all felonies. He also was arraigned on misdemeanor charges of fleeing or attempting to elude police and driving under the influence.

Additionally, he is charged with several traffic violations including driving with a suspended license-DUI related, failing to stop at a stop sign, driving too fast for conditions, abandoning a vehicle on a road, driving a vehicle with an open container of alcohol, careless driving and reckless driving.

He was placed in the Butler County Prison on $30,000 bond following arraignment. Authorities said he also is being held on a state parole detainer.

His preliminary hearing is set Tuesday. Online court records did not indicate if he has an attorney.