Zachary Hepfl

SUMMIT TWP — State police didn't find the behavior of an apparently impatient motorist humorous while investigating a traffic crash Tuesday afternoon.

The testy traveler found himself behind bars after allegedly refusing to identify himself — and laughing at police.

Zachary J. Hepfl, 19, of Adrian in Lawrence County, is charged with obstructing the administration of law or other government function, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

He was arraigned on charges and later placed in the Butler County Prison in lieu of $5,000 bail.

Troopers were at the scene of a wreck on Route 422 East between the Jefferson Street and the Mitchell Hill Road exits in Summit Township around 5:15 p.m. when they heard a horn blaring from one of the vehicles stuck in traffic.

State police said the 3:10 p.m. crash involved a tractor-trailer and car and closed the road to eastbound traffic for nearly six hours. The horn honking continued for an “extended period,” according to authorities, stopped, and then started up again.

Trooper Kevin Goss walked over to the vehicle making the racket. Hepfl was a front-seat passenger and admitted to sounding the horn.

The action, Goss advised the defendant, was excessive and a violation of the law.

“(Hepfl) became impatient with me,” Goss said in his affidavit, “and was irritated because he had to wait in traffic.”

The trooper asked Hepfl for identification, but the teen claimed he had none on him. He further refused to give police his name or date of birth, telling them he didn't have to, according to charging documents.

“He began laughing at me,” Goss said, adding that he again asked for Hepfl's ID.

This time, however, the trooper also warned Hepfl that he would be removed from the car if he did not comply.

“He continued to laugh and failed to provide his identity,” Goss said in his affidavit.

The officer opened the passenger door and took the teen out of the car. When Hepfl allegedly refused to place his hands behind his back, police took him to the ground.

The defendant still allegedly refused to give his name after being placed in the back of a cruiser in handcuffs.

However, the driver of the car in which Hepfl was riding eventually provided authorities with the teen's name.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at the office of District Judge Lewis Stoughton in Chicora. Online court records did not list an attorney for him.