From Pennsylvania State Police
A Homer City man wanted out of Armstrong County was arrested after he fled from an attempted traffic stop in White Township late Friday morning.
Drew Alexander Bittner, 19, was charged with two felony counts of Fleeing or Attempting to Elude Police Officer, misdemeanor counts of DUI (controlled substance), possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and 66 summary Vehicle Code violations.
Bittner was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Christopher S. Welch and was remanded to the Indiana County Jail in lieu of $10,000 monetary bail.
On Dec. 30, 2022 at approximately 11:12 a.m., a member of the Troop A, Indiana Patrol Unit was conducting stationary patrol on Wayne Avenue in White Township, Indiana County. The trooper then observed a silver Mazda 3 traveling at a high rate of speed. Upon querying the vehicle’s registration, the trooper learned that the registered owner, Bittner, was the subject of an active arrest warrant out of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.
The trooper then attempted to conduct a traffic stop in the parking lot of Hoss’s Steak and Sea House, 1198 Wayne Avenue. The driver and sole occupant, whose identity was not confirmed, initially pulled into a parking stall, but then fled at a high rate of speed. The trooper then initiated a vehicle pursuit. During the pursuit, the suspect failed to stop for steady red lights at intersections along Oakland Avenue before the pursuing trooper lost visual contact with the fleeing vehicle.
Another member of the Troop A, Indiana Patrol Unit then located the suspect vehicle in Homer City Borough and continued to pursue. The fleeing vehicle eventually struck a curb, causing a tire to become disabled. The suspect, later identified as Bittner, continued to drive on the rim and pulled into his residence along Greenville Road in Homer City Borough. Bittner was then taken into custody and found to be under the influence of and in possession of marijuana.
Bittner was lodged in the Indiana County Jail on the outstanding arrest warrant and charges were filed.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 9 at 1:30 p.m.
