Stanley P. Brozana Jr., 72 – Served 37 Years as Orwigsburg Police Chief
The Schuylkill County man accused of peeing in the middle of a Shenandoah street back in early January was arrested earlier this month driving what police say is a stolen vehicle.
Shortly after 2 p.m. on Feb. 9, State Police-Frackville say they were on routine patrol in Mahanoy Township when a Trooper saw a black Toyota Corolla headed west on W. Center St., approaching the patrol vehicle.
Police say the vehicle drove onto the white line on the side of the road. That prompted police to follow the Toyota. While following the vehicle, police say they observed the Toyota to cross over the center line of the road and back into the westbound lane.
In addition to the observed erratic driving, the vehicle had a New Jersey inspection sticker and a Pennsylvania registration. The registration, when verified through PennDOT, came up empty with no records.
Police say they initiated a stop on the vehicle and the Toyota pulled into the parking lot of Blaschak Coal Co. During the stop, the driver – identified as Michael Rush, 38, of Shenandoah – said he did not have a valid driver’s license. Police learned that Rush had a DUI-suspended license.
While questioning Rush, police say he had all the signs of being high on marijuana and reportedly admitted to smoking earlier in the day. Police say he also had some weed in a clear, plastic bag in a cup holder of the vehicle he was driving.
In addition to the weed and the suspended license, police say they also saw two New Jersey registration plates sitting on the passenger-side floor of the vehicle. Rush reportedly had no explanation for those registration plates.
After a Field Sobriety Test, Rush was taken into custody and the vehicle he was driving was impounded. Later, back at the Frackville barracks, police learned that the Toyota Rush was driving was reported stolen from Hoboken, New Jersey.
Rush is being charged with receiving stolen property, a third-degree felony, and misdemeanors for DUI. A host of summary offenses were also filed in connection with this incident. He was arraigned before District Magistrate Judge Edward Tarantelli on Feb. 9. Tarantelli set bail at $100,000 and remanded Rush to Schuylkill County Prison. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 20.
Earlier this year, Rush was accused of getting out of a vehicle – not this Toyota – on a street in Shenandoah and urinating. An open lewdness charge was changed to a summary offense in this case.
However, Rush is facing misdemeanor charges of simple assault and defiant trespass, which were filed in District Court on Jan. 2.
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