Penn Township man jailed after attempting to run from police officers

A Penn Township man was jailed without bail Friday after police said he led them on a chase when he didn’t have a valid drivers license.

The driving record for Gregg L. Snyder, 59, is so voluminous that township police said they had to request a copy of it from PennDOT.

An officer on patrol around 12:03 a.m. Friday spotted Snyder driving a Chevrolet pickup on Claridge Export Road. The officer reported in court papers that he knew Snyder had a suspended license because of a past DUI arrest.

When the officer tried to make a traffic stop, Snyder crossed over the center line and passed an SUV in front of him near Boquet Road. The pickup went out of sight but police reported seeing fresh skid marks on the road and smoke, according to court papers.

Police spotted the truck stopped and Snyder next to the driver’s side before he ran through backyards on Claridge Export Road. He eventually stopped and surrendered, police said.

Snyder is charged with fleeing from police, driving without a license and related offenses. He didn’t have an attorney listed online court papers. He was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison. A Sept. 26 preliminary hearing is set.

His criminal history dates to at least 1997, according to online court records. He was charged that year with driving under the influence and driving while operating privilege is suspended or revoked.

At the time of the reported chase, Snyder was free on $5,000 unsecured bail in connection with impaired driving charges filed by Penn Township police stemming from an Aug. 23 arrest, according to court records. His bail was revoked in that case.