CLAY TWP — A township man allegedly hopped aboard an all-terrain vehicle to make a beer run to a nearby bar.

On his early morning trip in August, state police said, James W. Noblit, 33, drove the Yamaha ATV on Route 8 in Clay Township.

That's a traffic violation.

The bigger problem for Noblit, however, was that he was already more than twice the state's legal limit for alcohol consumption, according to police.

That's a criminal violation.

Police last week filed charges. A preliminary hearing for Noblit is set for next month.

A pair of troopers were on patrol about 1 a.m. Aug. 26, police said, when they spotted an ATV traveling south on Route 8, a little north of Euclid Road.

The officers turned their cruiser around and made a traffic stop after noticing the lights go off on the ATV. The defendant, police said, told them what he was doing.

“Noblit explained that he lives down the road and just rode the quad over to get a 12 pack from the bar,” according to court documents, “but it was closed and (he) was on his way back home.”

The troopers noted that the defendant had a “strong odor” of alcohol. Police said he admitted having “a few beers” earlier.

He eventually failed field sobriety tests, documents said, and he was taken for a breath test that showed his blood-alcohol level was 0.184 percent. In Pennsylvania, a level of 0.08 percent is considered intoxicated.

Noblit is charged with driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license, careless driving and driving an ATV on a highway.

He faces a preliminary hearing Nov. 27 at the office of District Judge Lewis Stoughton in Chicora.