Perryopolis mayor charged in DUI crash
The acting mayor of Perryopolis is facing charges after allegedly crashing into a vehicle while drunk and fleeing the scene.
Charles Petrosky, 82, allegedly hit a vehicle at the intersection of Barneys Road and Route 51 about 6:21 p.m. Nov. 4, the complaint said. The driver of the other vehicle, Ashley Porter, told police she was taking her two sons to Frazier High School for sports. Court documents said Petrosky had been unresponsive when Porter got out of the car to ask him questions.
“She asked him for his insurance card and he did not respond,” state police Cpl. Jason Zanolli wrote in the complaint. “He got out of his vehicle and looked around and got back in the vehicle and left while she was on the phone with her husband.”
The driver gave police photos she had taken of Petrosky’s license plate, the complaint said.
Perryopolis police had then spotted Petrosky’s Hyundai Elantra in his garage with moderate front end damage. To avoid a potential conflict of interest, state police were asked to take over the investigation, the complaint said.
When police talked to Petrosky in his kitchen about 25 minutes after the crash, he appeared to have memory issues and could not provide any relevant information about what had happened, according to court paperwork.
Petrosky was taken into custody and brought back to the state police barracks, the complaint said. There, the complaint said, he agreed to a breath test, which came back with a blood-alcohol level of 0.139%.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there had been no action taken against Petrosky in his capacity as mayor, said borough Administrator Colleen Pontoriero. There was no item on the agenda for Wednesday night’s council meeting regarding Petrosky, though the issue could come up during executive session, she said.
Borough solicitor Melinda Dellarose said as the council members are all elected officials, they would not have direct oversight over the mayor.
“In terms of what council may or may not be able to do, I think their ability to really do much is going to be very limited,” she said.
Petrosky hung up when contacted by a reporter on Wednesday.
Petrosky is charged with driving under the influence with a BAC between .10% and .16%, and accidents involving damage to an attended vehicle or property. He was also cited for failure to render aid and careless driving.
As of Wednesday, Petrosky was awaiting a court hearing.