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Police Reports

Butler Twp

6:04 p.m. Jan. 17 — Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on New Castle Road at Alameda Road, Butler Township.

Police said Bryanna Gallant, 23, of Evans City, made a left turn in front of Sandra Morgan-Fitzwater, 40, of Portersville. Police said Morgan-Fitzwater and her passenger suffered minor injuries.

Police said Gallant, who was uninjured, was cited.

2:50 p.m. Jan. 17 — Police responded to a single-vehicle crash on Route 422, Butler Township.

Police said Suzanne Sieber, 58, of Pittsburgh, lost control of her vehicle due to snow on the road. Police said the vehicle crashed into the median barrier and then hit a guardrail. Police said Sieber was not injured.

1:47 a.m. Jan. 15 — Police responded to a hit-and-run crash on Acre Avenue, Butler Township.

Police said Cameron Weisenstein, 21, of Butler, hit a utility pole, which overturned the vehicle. Police said Weisenstein was not found at the scene, and he has since been cited for multiple traffic violations.

Jan. 12 — Frank A. Menchyk Jr., 47, of Connoquenessing, was charged with misdemeanor leaving the scene of a vehicle crash, related to a two-vehicle crash Dec. 19 on South Benbrook Road, Butler Township.

Police said witnesses claim Menchyk’s vehicle drifted across the center line and side-swiped their vehicle, before he fled the scene. Police said they used traffic camera footage in the area and found the vehicle registered to Menchyk.

Police said they later talked with Menchyk who took responsiblity for the crash, but he did not give a legitimate reason for not stopping.

Middlesex Twp

Jan. 11 — Jamie Ernst, 45, of Valencia, was charged with felony theft and misdemeanor possession of stolen property, related to her father’s missing vehicle.

Police said Ernst’s father reported his 2010 Chevrolet Malibu missing Jan. 10. He told officers Ernst took the vehicle, despite not having a driver’s license, and he has not seen her or the vehicle since.

Slippery Rock

Jan. 13 — A brother and sister were each charged with simple assault after an altercation with one another.

Police said they were called to a fight between two twin siblings, Nathan S. Knight, 30, and Amanda Knight, 30. Police said Amanda Knight claimed her brother Nathan Knight made an attempt to go after her child, so she hit him in the face.

Police said children who witnessed the fight saw Nathan Knight, who is non-verbal and a wheelchair user, got upset and was pushing and kicking toward Amanda Knight. Police said the children then saw Amanda Knight hit Nathan Knight four times in the face.

State Police, Butler

Jan. 13 — Shawn P. Barnacastle, 49, of Slippery Rock, was charged with misdemeanors driving under the influence and drug possession, related to a Feb. 22 traffic stop on Staff Road at Route 8, Brady Township.

Police said they stopped the vehicle for first using the wrong turn signal and then later failing to use a signal. Police said Barnacastle had constricted pupils and glassy eyes, and field sobriety tests showed he was impaired.

Police said they then found 30 stamp bags of suspected heroin and a bag of suspected meth in the vehicle. Police said a later blood test showed meth and fentanyl in Barnacastle’s system.

Jan. 13 — John F. Brown, 52, of Ebensburg, was charged with misdemeanors DUI, drug possession and drug paraphernalia possession, related to a Sept. 4 traffic stop on Route 422 near the South Shore exit, Muddy Creek Township.

Police said they stopped the vehicle for speeding 77 mph in a 55-mph zone and crossing lines on the road. Police said they smelled marijuana as they talked to Brown, and field sobriety tests showed he was impaired.

Police said they found suspected marijuana and cocaine in the center console, as well as multiple pieces of drug paraphernalia in the vehicle.

Jan. 12 — Erin S. Oluschak-Ray, 52, of Butler Township, was charged with DUI, related to a welfare check on a reported driver slumped in a vehicle on Route 356 at Fisher Road, Jefferson Township.

Police said when they arrived a bystander claimed to have helped Oluschak-Ray off the road. Police said Oluschak-Ray was falling asleep while they talked with her.

Police said field sobriety tests showed Oluschak-Ray was impaired, and a drug recognition evaluation determined that she was under the influence of a depressant. Police said Oluschak-Ray refused to have her blood tested.

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