Leechburg police charge man with drunken driving with kid in car

Leechburg police charged a man with drunken driving while his 10-year-old daughter was in the car.

Jared K. Koeller, 43, of McKean Street in Kittanning, faces a felony charge of endangering the welfare of a child along with five other charges, including reckless endangerment, driving under the influence and traffic offenses.

A preliminary hearing on the charges is scheduled for Feb. 2 before District Judge James H. Owen.

Police say Koeller was charged after officers responded to a pair of hit-and-run calls about 10 minutes apart on Jan. 13, according to the criminal complaint for the case.

Shortly before 10:25 a.m. a witness reported to police that a man driving a silver Chevrolet hit a parked car along Beale Avenue and never stopped. A responding officer said the crash damaged the front end of a Ford Focus.

About 10 minutes later, a second hit-and-run crash was reported on Lincoln Avenue.

An officer from Gilpin Township who responded to the scene said he found Koeller sitting in the driver’s seat of a silver Chevrolet Impala that crashed into a black Ford SUV, damaging the rear quarter panel, wheel well and tail light, the complaint said.

The officer said Koeller’s daughter was in the back seat of his car.

Police said Koeller appeared to be heavily intoxicated and was unable to locate his driver’s license until an officer told him it was on the front passenger seat, according to the complaint.

Officers said they tried to get Koeller to perform a field sobriety test but he “could not stand without help,” the complaint said.

He was taken into custody and his daughter was transported to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh to be checked for injuries. Police did not say if the girl was hurt as a result of the crashes.

Police said Koeller was taken to Allegheny Valley Hospital to have blood drawn but refused to undergo the procedure, according to the complaint.

He told police he had a previous DUI arrest and was advised by his lawyer not to have blood drawn so it could be tested for the presence of drugs or alcohol, the complaint said.

Koeller also told police that he was concerned the test would reveal he had marijuana in his bloodstream, according to the complaint.