Five DUI Cases Heard in Forest Hills District Court

Christine Jackson, 59, of Wilkinsburg waived her right to a preliminary hearing before District Judge Thomas Caulfield Oct. 31 on charges of theft by unlawful taking-moveable property and access device used to obtain or attempt to obtain property/service.

Forest Hills police filed the charges after a resident of Lynnwood Avenue in Chalfant called them on Aug. 10 to report that $3,800 to $4,000 in cash had been withdrawn from his bank account at various ATM machines by Jackson, who he'd given the card. Jackson, a nurse's aid for the man, admitted to withdrawing cash, first telling them it was to help her sister with cancer, then saying it was to pay for a crack cocaine addiction.

Jackson claimed to have destroyed the credit card to prevent herself from taking more. Police arrested her at the scene.

Caulfield also heard these five cases involving driving under the influence:

• Laura Jane Hoehn, 22, of Braddock Hills waived her right to a preliminary hearing on charges of driving under the influence (general impairment/incapable of driving safely, first offense), driving under the influence (highest rate of alcohol, blood alcohol content .16+, first offense), driving at a safe speed, careless driving and accident involving damage to an attended vehicle. Pennsylvania State Police filed the charges after Hoehn was involved in a one-car crash on the Penn Hills exit ramp of the Parkway East on July 21. According to a criminal complaint, Hoehn failed to negotiate the curve, struck a concrete barrier and crossed lanes into the grassy median. A state trooper smelled the faint odor of alcohol on Hoehn's breath and she showed signs of intoxication, the report said. She was taken to Forbes Regional Hospital by medics. The complaint said her blood alcohol content was .191 percent.

• Amanda Maria Falvo, 30, of Apollo waived her right to a preliminary hearing on charges of driving under the influence (general impairment/incapable of driving safely, first offense), driving under the influence (highest rate of alcohol, blood alcohol content .16+, first offense) and disregarding traffic lanes filed by Pennsylvania State Police. Two state troopers were traveling eastbound on the Parkway East behind a black 2006 BMW 330XI and noticed the car with an expired registration sticker cross the solid white line twice. After a traffic stop, a trooper detected a strong odor of alcohol on Falvo's breath and the criminal complaint indicates she showed signs of intoxication. Falvo failed a field sobriety test and was taken to Forbes Regional Hospital for a blood alcohol content test. Her blood level was .186 percent. Charges of issuance of registration plates, careless driving and restraint systems were withdrawn.

• Gabriel Rey Davila, 38, of Turtle Creek waived his right to a preliminary hearing on charges of driving under the influence (general impairment/incapable of driving safely, first offense), driving under the influence (highest rate of alcohol, blood alcohol content .10-.16, first offense), disregard traffic lane (single), exceeded 55 mph in other location by 13 mph, careless driving, failure to use a safety belt-driver and vehicle occupant. The charges were filed by Pennsylvania State Police on June 3 after a trooper initiated a traffic stop after observing Davila traveling at 68 mph in a 55 mph zone along the Parkway East eastbound at Greensburg Pike in Churchill and swerving from the right to left lane on five occasions. According to the criminal complaint, the trooper observed a strong odor of alcohol on Davila, and noted he was not wearing a seat belt, showed signs of intoxication and failed a field sobriety test. The complaint stated that that Davila admitted to drinking alcohol earlier in the evening. He was taken to Forbes Regional Hospital for a blood alcohol content test. Davila had a blood alcohol level of .127 percent.

• Michael Ryan Taylor, 24, of Forest Hills waived his right to a preliminary hearing on charges of driving under the influence (general impairment/incapable of driving safely, first offense), driving under the influence (highest rate of alcohol, blood alcohol content .16+, first offense), failure to stop at a red signal and driving the wrong way. Swissvale police filed the charges after an officer observed a white Toyota Corolla turn the wrong way off Edgewood Avenue onto Tomlinson Way, then go through a red light at the intersection of Edgewood and South Braddock avenues on Sept. 11. After a traffic stop, the officer observed an odor of alcohol and signs intoxication from Taylor, who admitted to drinking. According to a criminal complaint, Taylor failed a field sobriety test. A breath analyzer test registered a blood alcohol level of .180 percent. A charge of careless driving was withdrawn.

• Nicholas William Hudak, 59, of Swisshelm Park waived his right to a preliminary hearing on charges of driving under the influence (general impairment/incapable of driving safely, first offense), driving under the influence (highest rate of alcohol, blood alcohol content .16+, first offense), driving under the influence (controlled substance, schedule 1, first offense) and disorderly conduct (hazardous-physical offense). The charges were filed after a Swissvale police officer on patrol Sept. 23 passed a Chevrolet pickup truck in the 2000 block of Monongahela Avenue and detected a strong smell of marijuana. The officer observed the vehicle cross the center line twice and almost strike a parked car. After a traffic stop, the officer detected the odor of marijuana in the vehicle and recovered a small plastic bag with suspected marijuana. Hudak failed field sobriety tests, according to a criminal complaint, and was transported to UPMC East for a blood alcohol content test.

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