Acme man already in jail after one police chase accused of fleeing stop in New Stanton as well

State police believe they’ve identified a man who fled a New Stanton traffic stop in June and he is accused of leading troopers on two separate chases on Interstate 70 within 24 hours, according to court papers.

Seth G. Klingensmith, 26, of Acme, was arraigned Wednesday on charges of fleeing from police, reckless endangerment and related offenses. Troopers in late June released dash camera photos of a suspect in the pursuit, seeking help from the public to identify him.

A trooper pulled over a black Honda near a West Byers Avenue hotel around 8:30 a.m. June 15 for a registration issue and illegal window tinting. The male driver initially got out of the car then jumped back in and fled west on Interstate 70, according to court papers.

Police pursued the car for 3 to 5 miles and reported seeing it travel more than 90 mph in a construction zone, while passing vehicles on the right shoulder and tailgating others, according to court papers. Trooper James Daggett said he ended chase because of the driver’s actions.

He later learned that at 1 a.m. the next day, an employee at a gas station off the highway’s Smithton exit reported a suspicious man in the same Honda. Klingensmith is accused of fleeing from Belle Vernon troopers again onto Interstate 70 eastbound before turning on New Stanton Ruffs Dale Road and Route 31 into Mt. Pleasant, according to court papers.

The Honda collided with a Mt. Pleasant Police patrol unit and stopped in the department’s parking lot, troopers said. When police apprehended him, Klingensmith claimed to be a trooper from the Greensburg station, according to court papers. He was jailed on $50,000 bail in that case which involves charges of aggravated assault, fleeing from police and related offenses.

Daggett wrote in a complaint that he confirmed Klingensmith was the suspect in the original pursuit through correspondence with a family member, a known associate and fellow troopers and additional photographs of him.

He was ordered in late July to get evaluations for mental health issues and drug and alcohol use, according to online court records. Klingensmith waived his right to a preliminary hearing in the second chase and is awaiting action on a request to modify his bail.

During his arraignment Wednesday in the new case, bail was set at $5,000. A preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 31. He was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison.