CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — A Strattanville man is facing dozens of charges after he fled from police during a recent incident in the Clarion area.
According to court documents, 32-year-old Dustin Wayne Hartzell was arraigned at 3:15 p.m. on February 16 in District Judge Duane Quinn’s office on the following charges:
– Fleeing or Attempting to Elude Officer, Felony 3
– Possess/Sale/Use Display Documents, Misdemeanor 1
– Driving Unregistered Vehicle, Summary
– Display Plate Card In Improper Vehicle, Summary
– Operate Vehicle W/O Required Financial Responsibility, Summary
– Improper Pass, Summary (three counts)
– Limitations on Driving on Left Side of Road, Summary (three counts)
– Pass When Prohibited, Summary (three counts)
– Disregard Traffic Lane, Summary (five counts)
– Turning Movements And Required Signals, Summary (four counts)
– Driving at Safe Speed, (six counts)
– Careless Driving, Summary (six counts)
– Reckless Driving, Summary (six counts)
– Operating Vehicle W/O Valid Inspection, Summary
He is free on $20,000.00 unsecured bail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27, in front of Judge Quinn.
According to the criminal complaint, Clarion Borough Police Officer Fox was driving east on Main Street around 7:42 p.m. on Friday, February 9, when he saw a black Mazda. He ran a computer check on the license plate, and it was determined the owners of the vehicle to be a Butler couple. The registration had expired in January 2015.
When Officer Fox attempted to stop the Mazda by turning on his patrol car lights, it sped up. Officer Fox then turned on his siren, but the Mazda drove even faster, and the driver failed to use the turn signal when he passed another driver in a no-passing zone and failed to stay in his lane on Route 322 near Ace Concrete Excavating. The driver continued to flee on Route 322 into Clarion Township in dark conditions due to poor lighting, and the road was wet due to snowy conditions.
As the chase continued east on Route 322, the driver failed to stay in his lane on repeated occasions and once again, didn’t signal when passing vehicles two different times in no-passing zones while driving at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour.
The driver then turned onto Simpson Road without signaling and stopped. As Officer Fox got out of his police vehicle, a man, later identified as Hartzell, got out of the Mazda, dropped to his knees and put his hands in the air.
Officer Fox ordered Hartzell to lay on the ground and handcuffed him after making sure there wasn’t anyone else in the vehicle.
When Officer Fox asked Hartzell why he fled from him, Hartzell said he was angry about an argument he had with his girlfriend earlier in the evening, according to the complaint.
Four Pa. State Troopers arrived to assist Officer Fox, and Hartzell allegedly told one of them he had been drinking earlier in the day. When Trooper Yockey performed a preliminary breath test, Hartnell blew a positive reading for alcohol. A search of the Mazda by Trooper Sommers produced nothing, the complaint states.
Officer Fox took Hartzell back to the police station, and Hartzell’s girlfriend was called to pick him up.
