Fayette County borough mayor, 82, charged with DUI in hit-and-run

By JUSTIN VELLUCCI
TribLive

The 82-year-old mayor of a small Fayette County town had a blood-alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit on Election Night when he crashed his car into a woman driving her sons to a sporting event, then fled the scene, Pennsylvania State Police said.

Perryopolis Mayor Charles Petrosky, locally known as “Bud,” was driving his white Hyundai sedan around 6:20 p.m. on Nov. 4 when he rear-ended another driver near the intersection of Route 51 and Barneys Road, according to a criminal complaint.

Petrosky, a Republican re-elected Nov. 4 to his third nonconsecutive term as mayor, did not return phone calls Wednesday seeking comment. Democratic Party mayoral candidate Mark W. Plewniak, who received 179 votes to Petrosky’s 214 at the ballot box last week, declined comment.

The woman, who was driving her sons to a high school a few blocks away, was stopped at the intersection and trying to cross the highway when Petrosky hit her, the complaint said.

Police said Petrosky’s car, which an officer later saw inside the mayor’s garage, sustained “moderate frontend damage.”

The complaint did not indicate anyone was injured.

The driver got out of the vehicle to speak with Petrosky and ask for his insurance information, the complaint said. Her kids stayed in the car.

Petrosky said nothing, according to police. The mayor exited his car, “looked around,” got back inside the vehicle and drove off, the driver told police, according to the complaint.

The driver took photographs of his vehicle and license plate as he drove away.

Perryopolis police handed the case over to state police that night due to the conflict of interest, the complaint said.

Petrosky later told state police Cpl. Jason Zanolli that “he did not know anything about a crash and could not provide any information,” the complaint said.

Zanolli said in the complaint that the mayor “seemed to have memory issues.”

Zanolli interviewed the mayor in his kitchen on the night of the crash, the complaint said. The officer said he could smell alcohol on Petrosky.

Petrosky blew a .139% on a breathalyzer test, the complaint said. The state limit for driving is .08%.

The mayor was charged that night with two misdemeanors — DUI and accidents involving damage to attended vehicle or property. He also faces four driving- related summonses.

Petrosky’s attorney was not listed Wednesday in court records.

City Council President Wayne Nicholls and the driver who told police Petrosky hit her did not return phone calls Wednesday.

About 1,700 people lived in Perryopolis in 2020, census data shows. That’s about one-fifth of the population of Uniontown, Fayette County’s seat.