CHICORA — Criminal charges have been withdrawn against a Lawrence County teenager stemming from an incident with state police responding to a vehicle accident last month in Summit Township.

Police had charged Zachary Hepfl, 19, of Adrian with obstructing the administration of law or other government function, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

They said they came upon Hepfl, who was riding in a car that was stopped in traffic, around 5:15 p.m. July 16 for a crash on Route 422 East between the Jefferson Street and the Mitchell Hill Road exit.

They believed the teen was excessively honking the horn of the car in which he was riding. He was subsequently arrested after a trooper forcibly removed him from the vehicle when he refused to identify himself, police said.

At his preliminary hearing Tuesday at the office of District Judge Lewis Stoughton in Chicora, Hepfl pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a summary offense.

In exchange, Butler County Assistant District Attorney Russ Karl agreed to withdraw the other charges, both misdemeanors.

Stoughton ordered Hepfl to pay a $100 fine and court costs that totaled an additional $167.25.

Following the proceedings, Karl declined to talk about the decision to withdraw the charges.

Hepfl's attorney, public defender Ryan Helsel, said the decision was in his client's “best interest.”

He added, “There was more to this story than (what) may appear to have happened to have a result of just a summary offense.”

His client, Hepfl, said after the hearing said that he honked the car horn while waiting at the accident scene after someone threw a bottle at him.

“I started beeping to get the officer's attention (about the bottle throwing),” Hepfl said.