Police Reports
These items were collected from various police departments:
4:35 a.m. July 13 — Police, along with Butler Township Fire District 3, responded to a fully engulfed vehicle fire on Vogel Road.Police said the driver, Lewis Sampson Jr., 58, of Elyria, Ohio, was stopped at the intersection when his vehicle's engine caught fire. Police said Sampson escaped without injury.The vehicle and its contents were considered a total loss. Traffic in both directions was shut down for less than an hour while the scene was cleared of the vehicle and debris.10:09 p.m. July 10 — Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on Route 8 in Butler Township.Police said they cited Matthew Oldaker, 21, of East Berlin, after he failed to yield to oncoming traffic as he tried to turn left into the Greater Butler Mart.Police said Oldaker's vehicle crashed into one driven by Karen Peretin, 56, of Butler. It was unknown whether either driver was injured.July 8 — Nicholas C. Vasger, 22, of Hatfield, was charged with theft and possessing stolen property, related to a falsely claimed return at Lowe's in Butler Township.Police said Vasger picked up a hot water tank, worth about $1,000, and took it directly to customer service to return the item, which he had never paid for.July 8 — Bruce P. Finke, 62, of Portersville, was charged for leaving the scene of an accident, related to a hit-and-run on Meridian Road in Butler Township.Police said they responded to a two-vehicle crash where only one vehicle remained at the scene. Police said Finke called police to report he had been in the crash, and he admitted to leaving the scene.
12:03 a.m. July 11 — Police arrested and charged two men with theft, public drunkenness and disorderly conduct, related to a report that a customer head-butted an employee of the Primanti's Brothers in Cranberry Township.Police said they located Ihar Tachylenko, 32, of Philadelphia, and Aleh Brashavets, 56, of Dania, Fla., who had allegedly been drunk and disturbing the peace around the restaurant. Police said both men had left the restaurant without paying their bill too, which was more than $60.Police said they had to chase down Brashavets, who had initially tried to run away. Police also noted that both men were originally from Belarus and spoke with a thick Russian accent and broken English, which made communication difficult when combined with their drunkenness.2:34 p.m. July 10 — Danielle M. Lavery, 34, of Bradford Woods, was charged with retail theft, related to items stolen from Walmart in Cranberry Township.Police said store employees saw Lavery fail to scan about $158 worth of items before trying leaving the store.
July 8 — Amanda Trim, 34, of Sarver, was charged with theft, related to money she allegedly stole during her employment at Sprankle's Food Market in Saxonburg.According to the business's owner, Trim stole about $265 over the course of multiple days. Police said surveillance video shows Trim taking money from customers, handing them their change and then voiding the transaction, so as to keep the money.
10:27 a.m. July 12 — Police arrested and charged Timothy M. Foran, 18, of Butler, with felony theft, felony receiving stolen property and misdemeanor unauthorized use of a vehicle, related to a golf cart stolen from a Butler Township storage unit.Police said a witness told officers they saw Foran driving the cart. Police said when confronted, Foran said he wanted to take it for a “joyride,” and the keys were later found in his apartment.July 12 — Jessica L. Winkelman, 36, of Lyndora, was charged with a first-offense, controlled substance DUI, stemming from a May 28 traffic stop on Route 8 in Butler Township.Police said they stopped the vehicle for broken license plate light and rear brake light. Police said field sobriety tests showed Winkelman was impaired, and a blood test later showed marijuana in her system.July 10 — Jed R. Goodlin, 19, of Jamestown, was charged with a false alarm to a public safety agency, after he pulled a fire alarm.Police said Goodlin was apparently drunk when they investigated the report, and he later apologized to police for the inconvenience to the fire department.July 8 — Daniel L. Leech, 28, of Fenelton, was charged with a first-offense DUI, stemming from a May 14 traffic stop on New Castle Road in Butler Township.Police said they stopped the vehicle after they witnessed it swerve out of its lane and hit a curb. Police said field sobriety tests showed Leech was intoxicated, and a later blood test showed his blood-alcohol content was 0.198%. In Pennsylvania, a level of 0.08% is considered intoxicated.July 8 — Devin J. Smith, 34, of Butler, was charged with a first-offense DUI, stemming from a May 22 traffic stop on Decatur Drive in Butler Township.Police said they stopped the vehicle for crossing lines on the road. Police said field sobriety tests showed Smith was impaired, and a later breath test showed he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.136%. In Pennsylvania, a level of 0.08% is considered intoxicated.July 8 — Meagan E. Garrity, 40, of Wexford, was charged with a first-offense, controlled substance DUI, stemming from a May 17 call about an erratic driver on Route 68 heading toward Butler.Police said they spotted the vehicle on Route 68 in Butler Township, where they saw it hit the curb and blow out a tire. Police said field sobriety tests showed Garrity was impaired, and a later blood test showed she had amphetamine, nordlazepam, oxazepam, chlordiazepoxide, marijuana, fluoxetine, buproplon and mitagrynine in her system.July 8 — Two men were charged in relation to a stolen air bag from LKQ Corp. in Slippery Rock Township.A former employee, Gary F. Sweesy, 47, of Harrisville, and Scott L. Moyer, 33, of Slippery Rock, were charged with theft and trespassing after police investigated video surveillance showing the theft.Police said Sweesy admitted to being the one in the video and said Moyer had driven him there. The two had been charged in June 30 for a similar crime against the same company.
July 8 — Brittany M. Kauer, 27, of Pittsburgh, was charged with a first-offense DUI, related to a June 18 report of a disabled vehicle on Perry Highway in Portersville.Police said Kauer claimed she ran out of gas. Police said field sobriety tests showed Kauer was impaired, and a later blood test showed her blood-alcohol content at 0.147%. In Pennsylvania, a level of 0.08% is considered intoxicated.
