Police Reports
These items are from various police and fire departments.
[naviga:h3]Butler Twp Police[/naviga:h3]
8:08 p.m. Tuesday — A 17-year-old girl was found with suspected marijuana after they were called to the Days Inn on Route 8 south for the smell of marijuana on one of the motel’s hallways.
The girl, who police did not identify, is charged in Butler County juvenile court with possession of a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and underage drinking.
[naviga:h3]Butler County Drug Task Force[/naviga:h3]
Monday — Tara L. Hockenberry, 25, of Butler was arraigned on misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia stemming from an arrest last month in Butler in an unrelated drug case.
The Butler County Drug Task Force said Hockenberry was caught with seven packages of Suboxone and a digital scale about 5 p.m. May 17 when they spotted her seated at a picnic table outside a restaurant on South Chestnut Street.
The items were in a purse that was on the table, according to court documents. She did not have a prescription for the Suboxone.
The task force at the time was looking for Hockenberry on an arrest warrant. In that case, documents said, she was found March 24 during a task force investigation with a syringe and an empty stamp bag of heroin at a man’s apartment on Third Street in Butler.
She was arrested and arraigned on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia and placed in the Butler County Prison, where she remained on $15,000 bail since May 17.
[naviga:h3]State Police, Butler[/naviga:h3]
5:24 a.m. Wednesday — A man believed to be in his mid-30s was hurt in a one-vehicle rollover wreck on Interstate 79 in Worth Township.
The driver, whose name was not immediately released, was traveling south when he lost control of his small pickup truck on uneven pavement while headed to work, according to emergency crews. The highway is undergoing a paving project.
The pickup went sideways before going off the road and rolling over the hillside about three times. The man, who was wearing a seat belt, suffered apparent minor injuries. He was taken by Slippery Rock EMS to Grove City Medical Center.
The pickup sustained moderate damage and had to be towed.
Monday — James M. Quast, 48, of Slippery Rock was charged with drunken driving stemming from a two-vehicle crash last month in Worth Township. The wreck happened about 5:45 p.m. at New Castle and West Park roads.
Quast admitted that he had “a couple beers” before the crash. He showed signs of impairment during field sobriety tests and was taken for a breath test, which showed his blood-alcohol level was 0.115 percent. A level of 0.08 percent is considered intoxicated under state law. In addition to driving under the influence, he is charged with disregarding traffic lanes, following too closely to another vehicle, driving at an unsafe speed and driving a vehicle without valid inspection.
Monday — Police charged a Grove City teenager with having marijuana wax in connection with an April traffic stop in Slippery Rock. Austin J. Birckbichler, 19, was a passenger in the vehicle that was stopped about 6:50 p.m. April 28 on the 100 block of School Drive for a suspected window tinting violation. Birckbichler acknowledged that he had a rubber container with a small amount of THC marijuana, according to court documents. Police said he also had a drug-smoking pipe. Additionally, a portable breath test device indicated that he had alcohol in his system,
Birckbichler is charged with possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, and underage drinking.
