Wilkinsburg Man Tasered After High-Speed Chase Held for Court

Ronald Story, 32, of 1511 Foliage St., Wilkinsburg was held for court by District Judge Kim M. Hoots on Jan. 31 on charges stemming from an incident on Ewing Street.

Story faces charges of endangering the welfare of children, aggravated assault, resisting arrest/other law enforcement, fleeing or attempting to elude officers and operating a vehicle without a valid inspection. A charge of carrying and exhibiting driver's license on demand was dismissed.

According to a criminal complaint, two officers on Ewing Street observed a black Mercedes Benz SUV with an expired inspection sticker on May 12, 2012. The driver, Story, was ordered to stop, but told police they were harassing him and that he wanted to take his child home. Police threatened to have the car towed because it was illegally parked.

Story put the vehicle in drive and fled at a high rate of speed. One officer attempted to deploy his Taser but it didn't work. A second officer used his Taser but it was not effective because he was too close. According to the complaint, Story grabbed the hand of one of the officers and attempted to pull the Taser away. As the officer tried to keep the Taser on him, Story bit the officer's hand, causing it to bleed.

Eventually Story stopped fighting and was placed in custody.

In other cases handled by Hoots last week:

• Michael Ray Knight, 31, of 824 Ramsey St., Wilkinsburg, waived his right to a preliminary hearing on charges of driving under the influence (general impairment/incapable of driving safely), driving under the influence (highest rate of alcohol, blood alcohol content .16+, first offense), disregard traffic lane (single), driving at a safe speed, careless driving and restraint systems. According to a criminal complaint, Edgewood police responded to a traffic collision on June 26, 2012 on the Edgewood/Swissvale ramp of the Parkway East. Police reported that a car driven by Knight was traveling on the entrance ramp at a high rate of speed and was unable to stay in the paved lane. The car traveled onto the grassy median and when Knight tried to steer it back on the ramp, the car rolled over. Officers detected the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on Knight's breath and person. He also showed signs of intoxication, according to the complaint. He was transported to UPMC Mercy for a blood draw, which was tested by the Allegheny County lab. Knight registered a .174 percent blood alcohol content. The legal limit is .08 percent.

• David John Paul Turmel, 35, of 604 Cascade Rd., Forest Hills waived his right to a preliminary hearing on charges of driving under the influence (general impairment/incapable of driving safely, first offense), driving under the influence (high rate of alcohol, blood alcohol content .10 to .16, first offense) and no rear lights. A charge of disregarding single traffic lane was withdrawn. According to a criminal complaint, a motorist flagged down a Wilkinsburg officer who was monitoring traffic at the corner of Ardmore Boulevard and Rebecca Avenue about 1:12 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2012. The officer noticed a red Chevrolet Cobalt driven by Turmel was driving erratically with an inoperable brake tail lamp. After stopping the car near Brinton Road, the officer detected the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on Turmel, who also exhibited signs of intoxication. Turmel failed field sobriety tests. A breath analyzer test showed his blood alcohol content at .160 percent.

• Elizabeth Young, 28, of 701 Forest Ridge Dr., Forest Hills waived her right to a preliminary hearing on charges of driving under the influence (general impairment/incapable of driving safely, first offense), driving under the influence (highest rate of alcohol, blood alcohol content .16+, first offense),  driving wrong way, careless driving and not using low beam. A Wilkinsburg officer noticed a silver Honda with its high beams on near the Penn Avenue trestle at Pitt Street. According to a criminal complaint, the officer observed Young driving the erratically, then make a turn onto a one-way street. The officer pulled Young over and noticed the odor of an alcoholic beverage on her. She exhibited signs of intoxication and failed field sobriety tests. Young refused a breath analyzer test.

• Jerome Jenkins, 35, of 1416 El St., Wilkinsburg waived his right to a preliminary hearing on charges of driving under the influence (highest rate of alcohol, blood alcohol content .16+. first offense) and careless driving. According to a criminal complaint, a black Hummer SUV traveling west in the 800 block of Penn Avenue swerved into the lane that a Wilkinsburg officer on patrol on Nov. 10, 2012 was traveling in, causing the officer to take evasive action to avoid a crash. The officer caught up with the vehicle as it was turning onto Wood Street. The officer detected the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on Jenkins and observed signs of intoxication. Jenkins failed field sobriety tests. He had a handgun in the car, which he had a permit to carry. His blood alcohol test results registered .193 and .189 on a breath analyzer test.

• Daryl Matthews, 49, of 8048 Aber Road, Penn Hills, waived his right to a preliminary hearing on a charge of driving under the influence (highest rate of alcohol, blood alcohol content .16+, first offense). Matthews was one of two drivers involved in a motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Ross and Penn avenues on Nov. 10, 2012. According to a criminal complaint, an officer detected a strong odor of alcohol on Matthews, who also exhibited signs of intoxication. Matthews told police he got distracted and struck the car in front of him. The other driver told police he was stopped for a steady red light when he was struck from behind by Matthews' car. A breath analyzer test result showed a blood alcohol content level of .235 percent.

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