Man Charged with DUI After Allegedly Cutting-Off Firetruck

Editor's note: The following items include information provided by the Whitpain Township Police Department. Arrests, where they are mentioned, do not indicate conviction.

DUI: On Jan 26, at 1:04 am, police received a report from the Centre Square Fire Department stating that a black Kia was tailgating a fire engine northbound on Penllyn Pike.

As the truck arrived at Skippack Pike, the driver positioned the truck in the left-turn lane to turn west onto Skippack Pike. The Kia allegedly positioned itself in the straight through-lane to the right of the truck, but when the green arrow went on, the driver of the Kia passed the fire truck on the right and turned left in front of it.

The report states that an officer attempted to stop the Kia on Dekalb Pike at Morris Road using emergency lights and the siren, but the driver would not stop. The Kia then continued north on Dekalb Pike and eventually pulled into a parking space on Greycliffe Lane.

The driver, identified as James Matthews, 42, of the 600 block of Greycliffe Lane in Lower Gwynedd, allegedly failed to follow instructions from the officer and appeared intoxicated. Matthews was later transported to Mercy Suburban Hospital, but he refused a blood test. He was later released to his mother.

Charges including DUI and traffic violations will proceed by summons.

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Public drunkenness: Shawn MacKay, 33 yrs old, of the 200 block of Spring Garden Street in Ambler, was arrested for public drunkenness after an officer allegedly found him in his parked vehicle in the area of Plowshare Road and Dairy Lane.

As the officer spoke to MacKay, he stated that it was apparent that MacKay was intoxicated. He was cited and released to his father.

Retail theft: On Jan 25, police were called to the Giant Food Store, located at 1760 Dekalb Pike, where they encountered Lisa Betz, 22, of the 100 block of Lincoln Road in Collegeville. Betz was in custody with a Giant Loss Prevention officer after allegedly attempting to steal $176.02 worth of merchandise.

She was arrested for misdemeanor retail theft and later released.

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