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Police Reports

These items have been collected from various police departments.

11:45 p.m. Jan. 27 — Gary L. Vinroe Jr., 46, of Butler Township, was arrested for driving under the influence after a traffic stop on West Jefferson Street at the A-Plus convenience store.Police said Vinroe later was taken for a breath test, which allegedly showed his blood-alcohol level was 0.177 percent, more than twice the state's 0.08 percent legal limit.In addition to DUI, he is charged with driving the wrong way on a one-way street.Jan. 26 — India R. Benson, 39, of Pittsburgh, was charged with passing a bad check for $1,038 to her son's landlord in November. The check on Nov. 3 was written on a closed account, according to court documents. Benson is charged with a first-degree misdemeanor count of bad checks.

12:08 a.m. Saturday — Anthony W. Smorey, 46, of Butler, was arrested after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend during a domestic dispute on Wilkes Avenue. Police said the victim suffered minor injuries.Smorey was arraigned on charges of simple assault, harassment and criminal mischief. He is free on $10,000 unsecured bail.4:16 p.m. Feb. 4 — Frank Pelkofer Jr., 78, of Karns City, was cited for his involvement in a two-car crash.Police said Pelkofer was driving northbound and turned left on Fairfield Lane, failing to yield to Susanna Ditullio, 71, of Butler, who was driving south on Route 8.Pelkofer and Ditullio were uninjured. Pelkofer's passenger reported minor injuries, but she did not require medical treatment at the scene. Both vehicles were towed from the scene. Police cited Pelkofer for making an improper left turn.Feb. 4 — Police cited a Lawrence County woman for entering the Butler Commons' Walmart after previously having been barred from the property. Kaylee R. Shay, 25, of Volant, is charged with defiant trespass.

6:08 p.m. Saturday — No one was injured when a pickup truck driven by Robert M. Campbell, 58, of East Brady, Clarion County, rear-ended a van on the 300 block of Route 68 in Oakland Township. David E. Martin, 52, of North Huntingdon, Westmoreland County, was the other driver.10:29 p.m. Feb. 5 — A car driven by Dustin S. Robinson, 41, of Rimersburg, struck an embankment on Route 268 just west of Division Road in Parker. He was not injured.6:26 a.m. Feb. 5 — A Mercer County man was not injured when the tractor-trailer he was driving slid into a ditch on Interstate 79 north at the exit 99 ramp in Muddy Creek Township. Roger D. Carder, 49, of Hermitage, was not injured, but his rig had to be towed.10:23 p.m. Feb. 4 — Tenley M. Frye, 23, of Slippery Rock, was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital with an apparent minor injury after the sport utility vehicle she was driving crashed and overturned during a fast-moving snowstorm in Brady Township. Police said the SUV hit an ice patch at Route 528 and Snyder Road and struck an embankment.The Unionville and Slippery Rock volunteer fire departments and Butler Ambulance Service assisted at the scene.7:20 a.m. Feb. 3 — Paul D. Debor, 44, of Slippery Rock, lost control of his SUV and struck a guardrail on the Route 422 west off-ramp in Prospect. His vehicle had to be towed. He was cited for driving too fast for conditions.Feb. 3 — Troy J. Whitmire, 24, of Center Township, is accused of driving to the state police barracks on marijuana last month. Police said he showed up at the barracks in Butler Township around 10:30 p.m., Jan. 9, to be served with a protection-from-abuse order.A trooper spoke to him in the lobby, where he allegedly showed signs of impairment, according to court documents. He admitted he had driven there from Bruin. Police said he also acknowledged he had smoked marijuana the prior day.Another trooper who is certified as a drug recognition expert conducted an evaluation, and Whitmire later was taken the Butler Memorial Hospital for a blood test. Toxicology results allegedly showed he had marijuana in his system.Whitmire is charged with driving under the influence of a controlled substance.2:10 p.m. Feb. 2 — A car driven by Delaney R. Hyde, 18, of Butler, struck a sport utility vehicle at Hannahstown and Fisher roads in Jefferson Township. Following the collision, according to a police report, the SUV driven by Richard G. Graff, 75, of Saxonburg, struck a utility pole. No injuries were reported.The car sustained severe damage and had to be towed. The SUV sustained minor damage to the passenger side. The pole had no visible damage.Police cited Hyde for a stop-sign violation and failing to carry her license while driving.6:39 a.m. Feb. 1 — Benjamin L. Meyer, 19, of Butler, lost control of his SUV and struck a utility pole along Valencia Road just south of Leisie Road in Forward Township. He was not injured. Police cited him for driving too fast for conditions.Feb. 1 — Police reported they are investigating a theft by deception scam in Jefferson Township last month. An unknown man claiming to be from the Detroit district attorney's office Jan. 7 deceived a 72-year-old man “by stating that his son was in prison.”The impersonator requested $6,500 for “bail money” from the victim. Police said the investigation is ongoing, and no other details were available. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 724-284-8100.9:22 p.m. Jan. 31 — An Erie man was injured when he lost control of his SUV and struck an embankment on Interstate 79 southbound just south of Pfeifer Road in Muddy Creek Township. The vehicle overturned and landed on its roof.The driver, Jeremy M. Torok, 39, suffered a suspected minor injury. His three passengers, all from out of county, apparently were not injured. The SUV had to be towed. The Portersville-Muddy Creek Township Volunteer Fire Department and EMS assisted at the scene.Police cited Torok for driving too fast for conditions, disregarding traffic lanes, careless driving and reckless driving.7:21 a.m. Jan. 31 — Nicole E. Blatt, 23, of Slippery Rock, was injured when she lost control of her SUV, struck a utility pole and overturned on Bonniebrook Road in Jefferson Township. Police said she suffered minor injures.Blatt was cited for driving too fast for conditions and driving a vehicle without insurance.1:06 p.m. Jan. 30 — Russell R. Evans, 58, of Harrisville, was injured when a Freightliner truck collided with his pickup truck at Unionville and Minteer roads in Franklin Township. Evans suffered a minor wrist injury. Neither Elmer T. Byler, 41, of Butler, the other driver, nor Evans' passenger, was injured.Both vehicles were damaged. The pickup had to be towed. Police cited Byler for a stop-sign violation and not wearing a seat belt.4:16 p.m. Jan. 21 — A pickup driven by Matthew S. Wolfe, 21, of East Brady, struck the back of a car on Route 68 at Summit Avenue in Chicora. Tashawa L. Francis, 28, of Chicora, was the other driver. Both drivers and Francis' passenger, a 5-year-old girl, were not injured.Both vehicles were damaged. The pickup had to be towed. Police cited Wolfe for driving too fast for conditions.

11:11 a.m. Feb. 3 — A car driven by Melinda S. Adams, 26, of Rimersburg, struck a utility pole and ended up over an embankment along Route 68 just south of Curllsville Road in Toby Township. A police report said she was possibly injured. Her passengers, two children, ages 3 and 5, were not hurt.

19:11 p.m. Jan. 31 — A Massachusetts woman lost control of her sport utility vehicle and crashed on Interstate 80 east in Irwin Township. The SUV rolled onto its passenger side, but the driver, Rebecca C. Smith, 20, of Wayland, was not injured.

1:07 a.m. Feb. 2 — One person was injured in a single-vehicle crash in Slippery Rock Township, Lawrence County. The driver, Brandon M. McCreary, 31, of New Castle, lost control of his car on Route 422 just east of Old Butler Road and struck a large rocky embankment.Police said McCreary suffered an apparent minor injury. His car had to be towed. Slippery Rock Township Volunteer Fire Department and Portersville-Muddy Creek Township EMS assisted at the scene.McCreary was cited for driving too fast for conditions, disregarding traffic lanes and not wearing a seat belt.

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