HOMETOWN - The manager for the Hazleton Municipal Airport and a former Rush Township supervisor is facing a felony fleeing charge and DUI after police say he kept driving when they tried to pull him over.
Stephen W. Simchak, 56, of Lake Hauto, Nesquehoning, was traveling on Route 54 in Rush Township about 9 p.m. Oct. 27 when officers attempted a traffic stop, according to township police.
Simchak failed to stop despite sirens and flashing lights on the police vehicle behind him, and he drove to his home in Lake Hauto, where officers suspected he was intoxicated, police said.
Police said they transported Simchak to a Pottsville hospital for a blood-alcohol test, and the results showed his blood-alcohol content as 0.175 percent. The legal limit for driving in Pennsylvania is 0.08 percent.
Simchak is facing DUI, a felony charge of fleeing or attempting to elude police, and other summary traffic citations, police said.
Hazleton Mayor Joseph Yannuzzi said he was unaware of the incident until a reporter contacted him Friday night. He declined comment on the matter.
Simchak could not be reached for comment Friday night.