Rostraver man gets up to 5 years in jail for driving drunk in crash

A Rostraver man will serve up to five years in jail for driving drunk when he collided with another vehicle in which a young child rode as a passenger.

John Summers, 47, pleaded guilty in November to drunk driving and related offenses in connection with the April 14, 2017, crash on the Arnold City exit ramp of Interstate 70 in Rostraver. The child and two adults in the front seat of the struck vehicle were uninjured.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani on Friday sentenced Summers to serve six months to five years in jail and an additional year on probation.

Police said Summers was drunk and fled the crash scene. According to court records, witnesses identified Summers as the driver of the vehicle that caused the crash and he was arrested an hour later at his home, after police found his damaged vehicle.

Court records revealed his blood alcohol level was 0.22 percent, nearly three times the limit at which motorists in Pennsylvania are considered to be intoxicated.

Defense attorney Jack Manderino asked the judge to impose a sentence that included probation and house arrest rather than jail time.

Assistant District Attorney Adam Barr said Summers should be incarcerated.

“Eventually, we are going to have a tragic situation from incidents like these,” Barr said.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.