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Cruiser struck, driver charged

Butler Twp. man accused of DUI

BUTLER TWP — A township man was allegedly high on marijuana and alcohol when he crashed into a parked police cruiser on High Street last month.

State police this week charged 35-year-old Chad D. Caldwell with being more than two-and-a-half times the state's legal limit for alcohol and on drugs stemming from the March 29 wreck. No one was injured.

Butler Township Patrolman David Tedeski told troopers that he was on an unrelated suspicious person call around 11:15 p.m. when he heard a crash, investigators said. He looked up to see that a sport utility vehicle had sideswiped his cruiser.

The police car apparently sustained only minor damage.

The officer confronted the driver, later identified as Caldwell, who reached into his pocket and handed Tedeski a marijuana pipe, according to charging documents.

He also admitted that he “drank too much alcohol,” documents said.

Police eventually took Caldwell to Butler Memorial Hospital for a blood test. Toxicology results showed that he had marijuana in his system.

Additionally, his blood-alcohol level was 0.211 percent. In Pennsylvania, a level of 0.08 percent is considered intoxicated.

Caldwell is charged with driving under the influence, DUI, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving with a suspended license, careless driving and failing to keep right.

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