Crime & Safety
24-Year-Old Gibsonia Man Charged with DUI After Running Into Utility Pole
Man was hospitalized after crash on Bakerstown Road in Pine Township.
A 24-year-old Gibsonia man was charged with DUI and careless driving following an accident in which he crashed into a utility pole on Bakerstown Road in Pine Township, according to a report.
Ryan M. Chute's blood-alcohol level was 0.183 after the 9 p.m. crash on Nov. 19, the report said. Toxicology results were received Friday and a summons was issued Monday.
A preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 18 before Magisterial District Judge William K. Wagner.
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Chute is already facing DUI charges in Butler County. A formal arraignment there is scheduled for Feb.13 before Common Pleas Judge Timothy F. McCune.
Chute's preliminary hearing on Nov. 21 was waived.
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He is charged in Butler with two counts of DUI, including DUI at a high rate of .10-.16 BAC, for the September incident, according to court documents.
The two counts of DUI in Allegheny County include a charge of "highest BAC." That means the BAC was .16 percent or higher
Pennsylvania's DUI law has a tiered approach. The three levels are:
When Northern Regional police arrived at the Nov. 19 accident scene, “[Chute] was sitting in the driver’s seat bleeding from the head and had lost consciousness, but was breathing," the police report said. "Medics arrived and began to treat [him] for his injuries.”
“As medics and I were trying to speak to the driver ... I could smell an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his person," the report said.
Chute was transported to Allegheny General Hospital by McCandless-Franklin Park Ambulance Authority.
The accident occurred in the 5000 block of Bakerstown Road between Brierly and Terrywood lanes, police said.
Police said Chute's 2002 Mazda Tribute had just negotiated a left turn when it struck a mailbox at 5031 Bakerstown Road and lost control.
The Mazda slid sideways and struck a utility pole on the rear passenger side, causing it to go into a 360-degree clockwise spin, the report said.
The Mazda was towed by John B. Lombardo's Complete Collison Inc. of Warrendale.
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