Police Reports
These items were collected from various police departments.
11:26 a.m. Wednesday — Randy Bowser, 67, of Lyndora, suffered minor bumps and bruises after a sport utility struck him while backing out of a parking space at the Speedway store on Hansen Avenue. A Butler Ambulance Service crew tended to him, but he refused further treatment.Police said the SUV driver, Juan Pineda, 51, of Butler, never saw Bowser while backing up.
Jan. 28 — James A. Palmer III, 20, of Slippery Rock, was charged with taking $96 worth of car coupons from the Valvoline Express Care and Car Wash of Grove City on North Broad Street earlier in the month. The incident occurred around 2 p.m. Jan. 22.Palmer is charged with a misdemeanor county of theft.Butler County Drug Task Force
Feb. 2 — Maxine J. Jacobson, 24, of Clintonville, Venango County, was charged with having suspected heroin and/or fentanyl last month in Butler. She was allegedly in violation of her probation Jan. 13 when county probation officers stopped her in a car at West Penn Street and McKinley Avenue.Officers searched her, according to court documents, and found two stamp bags of suspected heroin/fentanyl. A search of the vehicle turned up hypodermic needles, a drug smoking pipe and empty stamp bags.Jacobson is charged with misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.
10 p.m. Tuesday — An unidentified vehicle struck and damaged a split-rail fence in a hit-and-run crash on Arrowhead Road in Allegheny Township. The unknown driver apparently lost control of the vehicle on the icy road and traveled off the right side of the road. The driver fled the scene.7:52 a.m. Tuesday — James T. Wandless, 50, of Erie, lost control of his car and struck a guardrail on Interstate 79 north in Jackson Township. He was not injured. Police cited him for disregarding traffic lanes.2:19 p.m. Monday — A pickup truck driven by Ray E. Gallagher, 78, of Harmony, hit a guardrail on I-79 north in Jackson Township after he fell asleep at the wheel. He was not injured, but his truck had to be towed. Police cited him for disregarding traffic lanes.Feb. 3 — An arrest warrant was issued for Caleb D. Rugg, 30, of Slippery Rock, on charges he illegally attempted to buy a firearm last year at a Clearview Mall store in Center Township. He is accused of providing false information on a required background check form June 2, 2020, when he tried to buy the gun at Rural King.Police said he was denied the purchase after his information was entered into the Pennsylvania Instant Check system.Rugg is charged with unlawfully attempting to buy a firearm, a felony, and unsworn falsification to authorities, a misdemeanor.Feb. 1 — Kayla M. Spatig, 22, of Center Township, was charged with being nearly two-and-a-half-times the state's legal limit for alcohol stemming from a traffic stop last month in Center Township. She was pulled over around 1:20 a.m. Jan. 24 on Route 8 just north of Beech Road.Police said Spatig was eventually taken for a breath test, which showed her blood-alcohol level was 0.199 percent, according to court documents. In Pennsylvania, a level of 0.08 percent is considered intoxicated.In addition to driving under the influence, she is charged with disregarding traffic lanes, careless driving, failing to carry her vehicle registration and not wearing a seat belt.Feb. 1 — Chris A. Etzel, 48, of Summit Township, was arraigned on charges he illegally tried to buy two handguns last year at the Clearview Mall Rural King store in Center Township. He is accused of providing false information on a required background check form June 1, 2020, when he tried to buy two 9 mm pistols.Etzel is charged with unlawfully attempting to buy a firearm, a felony, and unsworn falsification to authorities, a misdemeanor. He was released on his own recognizance following arraignment.6 p.m. Jan. 29 — James C. Foran, 47, and his wife, Amanda G. Foran, 35, were both arrested following a domestic dispute at their home on Carbon Center Road in Summit Township. He is accused of kicking his wife in the jaw and shoving her to the ground. She is accused of holding a butcher knife toward her husband and punching him in the back of the head.Both are charged with simple assault. Amanda Foran also is charged with harassment. Both were arraigned and each is free on $5,000 unsecured bail.Jan. 27 — Timothy M. Risinger. 27, of Butler, was charged with drunken driving stemming from a traffic stop earlier in the month in Butler. He was pulled over about Jan. 19 on East Cunningham Street.Police said he was arrested after failing field sobriety tests, according to court documents, and a subsequent search turned up two pills for which he did not have a prescription. He refused to submit to a blood test, police said.Risinger is charged with DUI, possession of a controlled substance, driving with a suspended license-DUI related and three other traffic violationsJan. 26 — Nicole M. Claypoole, 35, of Butler, was charged with drugged driving in connection with a November traffic stop in Butler. Police said they stopped her about 10:40 p.m. Nov. 28 on West Penn Street near North Main Street.Claypoole was subsequently arrested and searched and was found with a plastic bag of suspected marijuana, according to court documents.In addition to driving under the influence of a controlled substance, she is charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana and failing to stop at a red light.Jan. 22 — An arrest warrant was issued for Michael Lavely, 57, of Kittanning, on charges he illegally attempted to buy a handgun in 2019 at Fenelton Firearms in Clearfield Township. He is accused of providing false information on a required background check form on Sept. 22, 2019, when he tried to buy a 9 mm pistol at the store.Lavely is charged with unlawfully attempting to buy a firearm, a felony, and unsworn falsification to authorities, a misdemeanor.
