A 47-year-old Greensburg woman who smashed through the front of a Chinese restaurant over the weekend was driving under the influence and did not have a driver’s license, city police said.
Eileen Marie Morreo is charged with DUI, reckless endangerment and reckless driving following the crash into Szechuan Garden at 670 East Pittsburgh St.
Authorities said Morreo, a patron who was dining at the restaurant, was not injured when the sport-utility vehicle she was driving backed into the front of the business in Davis Plaza about 2:50 p.m. Sunday.
Sharon Stewart, another patron, was waiting for a takeout order when the vehicle slammed into the restaurant next to her, knocking her to the floor, Officer Elliott Fejes reported in court documents. She was treated at Excela Health Westmoreland hospital in Greensburg for minor injuries.
Fejes reported that he spoke to Morreo after she was freed from the vehicle and he smelled a strong odor of alcohol.
“She also had slurred speech and a staggered gait. Morreo advised officers she had been drinking at her house, but it was earlier in the day,” Fejes wrote in court papers.
Morreo claimed that the broken sole of her shoe became wedged in the gas pedal as she attempted to back up, causing the crash, Fejes reported.
A preliminary breath analysis at the scene indicated Morreo’s blood-alcohol level was .16%, or more than twice the legal driving limit, the officer reported. Fejes said Morreo refused to have blood drawn at the hospital to be tested.
“Morreo advised me she does not have a car anyways, so it doesn’t matter if she loses her license,” Fejes wrote.
The restaurant, which closed after the accident, is now open for delivery and takeout, an employee said Wednesday.
Morreo’s preliminary hearing is scheduled Dec. 12 before District Judge Chris Flanigan.
