Police: Harrison man high on pot crashes into parked township dump truck

A Harrison man impaired by marijuana drove his car off Springhill Road and into a parking lot at the municipal building, crashing into a parked public works dump truck, according to township police.

Harrison police charged Daniel J. Abbott, 30, with driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance, accidents involving damage to unattended vehicle or property, trespass by motor vehicle and drug offenses following Tuesday’s incident.

According to a criminal complaint, a Harrison officer was leaving the police department and walking to his patrol vehicle about 1 a.m. when he heard a loud crashing sound from the public works department parking lot.

The officer looked in the direction of the crash and saw a small white sedan fleeing the parking lot. It headed up the hill on Springhill Road and turned onto nearby Park Avenue, where police stopped it.

A strong odor of marijuana allegedly was coming from within the car. Police said Abbott was not able to provide a license or identification.

Another officer said the car, a white Chevrolet Cobalt, had entered the public works parking lot and hit a 2011 Ford dump truck that was parked and unattended. A large pile of broken plastic and front-end parts from the Cobalt were on the ground behind the dump truck.

There was no damage to the truck, township Manager Rich Hill said.

According to the complaint, Abbott told police he missed the turn onto Park Avenue and went into the public works parking lot to turn around when he hit the back of the truck.

Police said Abbott’s speech was slurred, and he had trouble standing. Police said the marijuana odor remained strong and surrounded Abbott as officers talked with him.

Police said there was a large bulge in the front pocket area of Abbott’s hooded sweatshirt, and a patdown found two plastic bags of marijuana.

Police said they asked Abbott to submit to sobriety and blood testing at Allegheny Valley Hospital, but he became uncooperative and refused at the hospital.

Abbott was released on his own recognizance after an arraignment Tuesday evening. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Oct. 14 before District Judge Carolyn Bengel.