Vandergrift man who runs wrestling school for girls charged with DUI, cocaine possession

A Vandergrift man who operates a private youth wrestling club for girls in Shaler has been accused of drunken driving and possession of cocaine.

Barry Gregory Bernard, 38, of the 100 block of Lowell Street was charged with misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence and drug possession along with three traffic violations, according to court records.

Bernard faces a preliminary hearing before District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec on Nov. 15.

Lower Burrell police wrote in a criminal complaint charging Bernard that, on Sept. 21 along Route 56, a Chevy Silverado was seen traveling at “a moderate to high rate of speed.”

An officer caught up with the pickup, which was “drifting” from lane to lane, straddling the lines between the two eastbound lanes, according to the criminal complaint. Police said Bernard began to speed up and reached 90 mph in a 45-mph zone between Wildlife Lodge Road and Sylvan Drive, the complaint said.

Bernard slowed to about 78 mph and continued to drift between lanes after the officer turned on the emergency lights in his cruiser, but he did not pull over, the complaint said. The truck stopped after traveling several more miles, police said.

Police said Bernard had a nearly empty 22.5-ounce can of Smirnoff Smash malt beverage in the center console and that his eyes were glassy and speech slurred, the complaint said.

The officer said Bernard tried to hide something under his buttocks while sitting in the vehicle and nearly fell to the ground when he got out, the complaint said.

A knotted baggie containing a white powder that appeared to be cocaine was confiscated and sent to a police lab for testing. The results of the chemical tests were not included in the complaint.

Police said Bernard agreed to undergo a series of field sobriety tests but failed all of them.

When the officer repeatedly asked Bernard if he was willing to have blood drawn so it could be tested for the presence of alcohol or drugs in his system, he responded, “I need an attorney,” the complaint said.

Bernard, who did not have a lawyer listed in court records, declined to answer questions about his arrest when contacted by a Trib reporter.

Bernard is the founder of the Black Widow Wrestling Club, which trains in Shaler. He also is an advocate for the state school athletic association to sanction girls’ wrestling, according to his Facebook page.

In the past, the club’s roster of wrestlers included girls from New Kensington-Arnold, Highlands and other school districts.

Neither Bernard nor his club has direct association with the school districts, according to district officials.