Former Constable Charged with DUI after Accident in Pine Township

A former constable for Pine Township has been charged with DUI and other traffic violations after an afternoon one-vehicle accident near a school bus stop in Pine, according to a report.

Gibsonia resident Eric F. Ewing, 54, also has been charged with reckless driving, driving at an unsafe speed and not stopping for a stop sign, court records show. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Dec. 7 in the courtroom of Magisterial District Judge William K. Wagner.

The blood alcohol level for Ewing was .275 percent, according to the police report. The Allegheny County Lab results were received last week. The laws covering driving under the influence state three blood alcohol levels; the highest level is 0.16 percent and above.

Ewing was carrying a gun at the time of the accident, with a badge that said "Concealed Carry Permit," police said.

The Oct. 21 accident occurred about 4:20 p.m. at the intersection of Tierra Vista Drive and Ivy Drive in a planned residential development northwest of the Route 910-Babcock Boulevard intersection, police said.

Ewing told police he "was driving like an idiot, speeding, and intentionally did not stop at [the] stop sign while hitting the gas so he could slide around the intersection while making a right turn onto Tierra Vista," the police report states.

Ewing's 2008 Mercedes-Benz continued straight, knocking down two streets signs and two stop signs, before crashing into a yard on Ivy Drive, the report said. 

The homeowner, Dr. Catherine Hrach, told police she came out to attend to the driver after hearing the crash and seeing the vehicle in her yard, said police. Hrach is an emergency medicine physician. 

McCandless-Franklin Park EMS transported Ewing to UPMC Passavant Hospital in McCandless, where he received 13 stitches in his forehead and was advised he would get a C.A.T. scan, said police. 

"While in the rear of the ambulance, [police officers] were told by ambulance personnel that Mr. Ewing was found to have a firearm on his waist," the report said.

"Officers did obtain a .38 Caliber Smith & Wesson revolver and extra rounds from Mr. Ewing. Mr. Ewing was also observed to be wearing a custom-made badge on his belt that stated Concealed Carry Permit," the report continued. 

"Mr. Ewing stated he was traveling on Ponderosa Court, approaching the intersection of Ivy and Tierra Vista to avoid the traffic on Route 910 and Babcock Boulevard," the report said. He told police he was coming from Cole's Tavern in Wexford, the report said.

A witness was sitting in her vehicle on Tierra Vista waiting for her child’s school bus when she heard Ewing's vehicle coming, police said.

She "observed a black Mercedes traveling on Ponderosa Court at a high rate of speed striking mailboxes in front of [two homes on] Ponderosa Court, then travel through the intersection and crash into a yard [on] Ivy Drive," said police.

's Public Works Department was notified about the stop signs and street signs for Ponderosa Court and Tierra Vista. Utility companies were contacted by to respond for repairs of ground boxes, the report said.

The Mercedes was towed.