Baldwin Borough Police Briefs (Jan. 31-Feb. 6)

The Baldwin-Whitehall Patch visited the  on Monday, Feb. 7, to gather 's police briefs for the time period of Jan. 31-Feb. 6.

Baldwin Borough Police arrested five drivers for driving under the influence from Feb. 5-6.

The first DUI arrest over that time period occurred at approximately 2:09 a.m. on Feb. 5 when a Baldwin Borough Police officer pulled over a vehicle on Streets Run Road between Prospect and Brentwood Roads for careless driving. Brandon Michael McNally, 21, of 426 Saratoga Drive in the Borough of Pleasant Hills, was operating the vehicle.

McNally provided false information to the police officer at the time that he was pulled over, identifying himself as someone else and forging a signature for that name. Police found a signature for the person whom McNally claimed to be, but that signature did not match McNally's forgery. Also, McNally provided conflicting dates of birth for the person whom he claimed to be.

McNally eventually admitted his true identity. He also failed a breath-analyzer test.

In addition to being charged with careless driving, providing false identification to a law-enforcement authority, forgery and driving under the influence of alcohol, police also charged McNally with driving with a suspended license.

The vehicle's two passengers, Stephanie Marie Ihrig, 20, of 261 Picture Drive in Pleasant Hills, and Daniel James Pistelli, 22, of 410 Hi Tor Drive in Pleasant Hills, both said that McNally was the person who he was claiming to be before McNally admitted his true identity. As such, both Ihrig and Pistelli were cited for aiding consummation of a crime and providing false information.

In addition, police cited Ihrig, who also failed a breath-analyzer test, for underage drinking.

A short time later that morning, Baldwin Police pulled over a vehicle for reckless driving on Streets Run Road. Just before that vehicle was pulled over, the vehicle's driver moved to a passenger seat, and someone else took control of the vehicle. Jeron Copeland, 20, of 357 South Ann Street in Lancaster, Pa., was determined by the officer who pulled the vehicle over to be the person who was indeed driving the vehicle while it was operating recklessly.

That officer reported that Copeland struck a vehicle while driving, causing that vehicle to strike another vehicle. Police charged Copeland with reckless driving and with causing an accident involving damage to an unattended vehicle or property. Copeland also failed a breath-analyzer test and was charged with an underage-drinking DUI.

At approximately 10:47 p.m. on Feb. 5, a Baldwin Police officer was dispatched to an area of Brownsville Road and Churchview Avenue to assist with a possible DUI. Someone had called police about a possible DUI at that location, but Brentwood Borough Police were on a robbery call and had no officers to answer that DUI call.

When the Baldwin Police officer reached the Brownsville-Churchview area, that officer was told that the possible-DUI vehicle had turned around and was still in Brentwood but was now heading toward Route 51.

The Baldwin officer went that direction until Brentwood or  police officers could arrive. The Baldwin officer received an update that the vehicle was near Brentwood Towne Square, and the officer eventually got behind the suspicious vehicle near the Brownsville Road and Wainwright Avenue intersection.

The pursuing officer then reported that the vehicle eventually turned onto Route 51 and headed south. Baldwin Police pulled the vehicle over in Whitehall soon after that for careless driving. Brentwood Police reported to the scene at that time but decided not to get further involved, according to a narrative written by Baldwin Police.

Mary Angela Foster, 46, of 5502 Soltis Drive in the City of Clairton, was operating the vehicle with a small dog inside. According to Baldwin Police's narrative, Foster admitted to being drunk. She also failed a breath-analyzer test.

Foster was cited for careless driving, for a DUI and for having open alcohol containers in her car.

At approximately 2:47 a.m. on Feb. 6, a Baldwin officer was notified that an off-duty Pittsburgh Police officer was following a vehicle driving carelessly on East Carson Street/River Road with no rear lighting. That vehicle eventually pulled onto Streets Run Road and headed south when Baldwin Police began following it.

Baldwin Police observed the vehicle swerving on Streets Run Road and decided to pull the vehicle over. Baldwin Police followed the vehicle with its emergency lights on for 0.6 miles before it eventually pulled over (and only then after another police vehicle pulled in front of it).

Caleb Joseph Leiendecker, 20, of 245 Beech Road in Plum Borough, was operating the vehicle. Leiendecker was arrested on underage-drinking DUI charges, and his blood-test results from Jefferson Regional Medical Center are pending. Police also charged Leiendecker with driving on the wrong side of the roadway, careless driving and insufficient general-lighting requirements.

Less than an hour later, Baldwin Police noticed a vehicle with an inoperable passenger-side brake light traveling south on Route 51 near Irwin Drive. Police followed the vehicle farther down Route 51, and after the vehicle twice struck a curb, it was pulled over by police.

The officer who pulled the vehicle over noticed that its passenger appeared to be hiding something. The driver of the vehicle, James Melvin Rice III, 21, of 64 Lincoln St. in Crucible, Pa., and the passenger, Brandon Nelson Bular, 20, of 230 Piersol Ave. in the Borough of Bentleyville, both stated that they had a "couple" of drinks, according to a narrative written by Baldwin Police. Rice also admitted that he had been smoking marijuana. Both men tested positive for alcohol on breath-analyzer tests.

Police searched the vehicle and found small amounts of marijuana scattered throughout it.

Rice, who had an outstanding warrant for a probation violation, was taken to Allegheny County Jail after blood tests were conducted on him at Jefferson Medical. Results from that test are pending. Police cited Rice with DUI and careless driving.

Police also cited Bular for underage drinking.

Baldwin Police also responded to a burglary call on Feb. 5 at approximately 1:15 p.m. A caller told police that a house that he owns and has been remodeling on Susquehanna Street had a variety of copper items and tools stolen from it.

That caller told police that he last left the Susquehanna Street house on Jan. 29 and that when he returned on Feb. 5, he saw multiple footprints in the snow leading from the rear of the house.

The caller said that he then checked the inside of the house and noticed that the rear door was not secure. The caller said that both the knob and the deadbolt of that door had been secured upon him leaving the house on Jan. 29.

The caller reported that forced entry to the house had been made through a rear window.

Baldwin Police are still investigating.