Salem man accused of fleeing, hiding from police in Route 30 chase

A Salem man is accused of speeding away from state police over the weekend on Route 30 and hiding in a wooded area before being caught, according to court papers.

Aaron Patrick Weimer, 55, is charged with fleeing from police, driving under the influence and related offenses.

Troopers were on patrol at 7:45 p.m. Saturday at Old Route 30 and Slate Run Road in Hempfield when a Honda Accord drove through a stop sign, according to court papers. Police ran the license plate and learned the owner was wanted on drug charges filed by Greensburg police this month. A trooper said he recognized the man behind the wheel as Weimer from a drivers license photo.

Police attempted to pull Weimer over at the intersection of Route 30 and Georges Station Road when they said the car fled westbound on the highway, nearly hitting two motorcyclists, according to court papers. Weimer pulled into a private driveway near the intersection of Donohoe Road and ran into a tree line and over a cliff, police said.

He then ran across Route 30 and hid in a wooded area behind a car dealership, according to court papers. Surveillance cameras from the business helped police locate Weimer, who told them he knew there was a warrant for his arrest and that he ran because he didn’t want to go to jail.

In Weimer’s car, authorities said they found about 4 grams of suspected methamphetamine.

He was arraigned Sunday and was being held in the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 bail. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A preliminary hearing is set for July 6.

He also was arraigned on drug charges stemming from a June 14 incident in Greensburg. Bail was set at $25,000 in that case, according to online court records. He is serving one year of probation in two drug paraphernalia possession cases.