Joseph Bell

A Pittsburgh man was sentenced to almost one year in jail Thursday for a driving under the influence incident.

Joseph J. Bell, 24, was sentenced to 11½ to 23 months in Butler County Prison by Butler County Judge William Shaffer.

He also was ordered to complete 37 months county probation following his parole, pay court costs and $2,500 in fines, complete 100 hours of community service, complete a drug and alcohol assessment and attend an alcohol highway safety school and a victim impact panel.

Bell pleaded guilty Nov. 29 to misdemeanor DUI and summary driving on a suspended license.

He was initially charged with misdemeanor DUI, DUI of a controlled substance, summary driving with a suspended license-DUI related and careless driving after an incident in the area of East Locust and Franklin streets, Butler, on Dec. 16, 2016.

Butler City police filed the charges after Bell's vehicle almost hit a police cruiser and was pulled over.

Bell then took off running between houses before jumping a fence, police said. During his would-be getaway, documents said, he ran onto a porch in the 300 block of East Locust Street.

He was arrested moments later. Police said when they got to his car, they smelled marijuana coming from it. Bell admitted smoking marijuana earlier in the day, police said.

Police took Bell to Butler Memorial Hospital for a blood test. Toxicology results confirmed he had marijuana in his system.

Bell is also being held on $100,000 bail and awaiting further court proceedings on two felony counts of burglary and one count each of conspiracy to commit burglary, aggravated assault, possession of a prohibited firearm, misdemeanor simple assault and recklessly endangering another person after being charged alongside three others with breaking into a home in the 400 block of Franklin Street, which caused a seven-hour standoff with police Dec. 18, 2016.

Bell was charged alongside Michael L. Jackson, 25; Kenneth T. Henry, 40; and Janeal Armstrong, 32, all of Philadelphia.

Jackson, Bell and Henry are accused of breaking into the home of Lisa Bishop and holding a gun under her chin while demanding to know where “Ginger” was.

After police were called, the men fled to an upstairs apartment.

During the incident an officer reported seeing a black man holding what appeared to be a gun trying to climb out of a window on the south side of the home before retreating inside.

Butler Township police and state police assisted Butler police in surrounding the building. Authorities tried to speak to the suspects holed up, but they got no response.

A Special Weapons and Tactics team from Allegheny County was called to the scene and later found Armstrong hiding in an alcove behind the home. Police said he was carrying 31 stamp bags of suspected heroin, two plastic bags containing suspected crack cocaine, three bags of suspected marijuana and $700 in cash.

The SWAT team eventually launched tear gas into the building and located the three other men hiding in an attic above 430 Franklin St., which shares the space with Bishop's home at 428 Franklin St., ending the seven-hour standoff. They found no drugs on those three suspects, police said.

No guns were found either, after police searched all four men and the house. However a neighbor later called to report finding a 9 mm pistol near the home. Near the gun which was found with its serial number filed off, police also seized a 9 mm magazine, one 9 mm bullet and a loaded .380-caliber magazine.

Jackson later pleaded in the case and was released from county detention on time served.

Bell, Armstrong and Henry continue to be held awaiting further court proceedings.