Uniontown residents arrested after pursuit
Two Uniontown residents were arrested Thursday morning after allegedly leading police on a chase at speeds of up to 45 mph above the speed limit in a stolen car.
Barry Baker Jr., 28, and Megan Trombetta, 39, were taken into custody on East Berkeley Road in Uniontown after the car hit a utility pole and then a fire hydrant, court documents said.
Police began pursuing the two after Trombetta’s ex-boyfriend Eugene Isler notified police she had driven off with his son’s Hyundai Elantra around 7:30 a.m. Thursday. Isler had left the vehicle near Main Street in Oliver while he and Trombetta were traveling together, he told police.
Charging documents said a feature allowing the Hyundai owner to track the car’s location in real time allowed officers to spot the car traveling south on Pittsburgh Road in Rostraver Township.
By the time police were following the Elantra, Baker was behind the wheel, with Trombetta in the front seat and another person, Jacob Newlon, in the back, police said.
When a state trooper attempted to stop the car in Menallen Township, Baker acted as though he was going to pull over before re-entering the right lane and accelerating, the complaint said.
The vehicle continued at about 80 mph in a 45 mph zone, switching lanes repeatedly in an area of moderate traffic, according to court paperwork.
Baker blew through multiple red lights on the way into Uniontown, the complaint said, passing cars on the left and right — which sometimes meant driving onto the shoulder or into opposing lanes.
Troopers put out multiple tire deflation devices, which failed to slow down the car, the complaint said.
The affidavit laid out further alleged speeding by Baker — 60 mph in a 35 mph zone in dense traffic on Morgantown Road, and 70 mph in a 35 mph construction zone near Judith Street by an elementary school.
Near Morgantown Road’s intersection with Walnut Tree Hill, the car moved around heavy traffic and ran through another red light, the complaint said.
The car hit a utility pole on Derrick Avenue, where it crossed into opposing traffic again before the final collisions with a utility pole and fire hydrant on Berkeley Avenue that ended the pursuit.
As Trombetta was being taken into custody, officers noticed her dropping plastic bags suspected to contain cocaine packaged for sale, white pills and marijuana, according to the complaint.
Baker’s affidavit of probable cause said he was found to have an active arrest warrant, and did not have a license.
A black sweatshirt that had been thrown from the front passenger seat of the vehicle during the pursuit was found to contain a clear plastic bag with residue, charging documents stated.
Newlon was taken into custody and later released, court documents said.
Baker faces felony charges of receiving stolen property and fleeing and eluding, misdemeanors of flight to avoid apprehension and reckless endangerment, and summary charges for speeding, careless driving, failure to use signals and not having a license.
Trombetta also faces the receiving stolen property charge, along with felony charges of theft, and manufacture, delivery or possession of a controlled substance. She is also charged with misdemeanor offenses related to possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Baker was denied bail; Trombetta was unable to post her bail amount of $40,000. Both are both lodged at the Fayette County jail.
They have a preliminary hearing scheduled for Nov. 19.