East Brady man jailed after pursuit
EAST FRANKLIN TWP, Armstrong County — It took chasing, bumping and running, but in the end, troopers got their man.
State police arrested Robert F. Meany Jr., 30, of East Brady early Thursday morning following a suspected drunken driving pursuit.
He is being held in the Armstrong County Jail on felony and other charges.
Police said the chase began just after midnight when troopers attempted to stop the defendant for unspecified traffic violations in the area of the Hilltop Plaza on Route 268.
It turned out, according to a police report, that Meany was wanted on warrants out of Butler and Armstrong counties.
Troopers pursued the accused on Route 268 and Beagle Club Road. When Meany tried to turn onto Porterfield Hill Road, police initiated the pursuit immobilization technique.
The so-called “PIT maneuver” is used when a trailing officer bumps a fleeing motorist from the rear at an angle, causing the vehicle to spin out.
The technique apparently worked, police said, as Meany's vehicle became disabled. He allegedly got out of the car and ran, but troopers chased him down a short time later.
A breath test subsequently determined that the defendant's blood-alcohol level was 0.136 percent, police said. A level of 0.08 percent is considered intoxicated under state law.
Meany is charged with a felony count of fleeing or attempting to elude police and misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and driving under the influence. He also is charged with six traffic violations.
Court records showed that Butler County court issued a bench warrant April 3 for Meany after he failed to appear for a hearing in a theft by deception case.
