Northampton County DA Terry Houck has opened an investigation into Washington Tp Police Chief Scott Miller's January 5 (late night) or January 6 (early morning) accident at a property along Kesslersville Road in Plainfield Township. His office was at the scene yesterday, taking pictures. A top prosecutor also spoke with property owner Mike Drosnock I wrote about this matter last week and again on Monday. In addition, Lehigh Valley Live has published a story, including several good pictures of the damage to Mike Drosnock's home.
According to the LehighValleyLive story, the Slate Belt Regional Police (SBRP) Officers who initially responded to this accident never bothered to test Miller for alcohol. Despite the accident, they failed to even conduct a field sobriety test.
It is clear to me the officers who initially responded were covering Miller's tracks. When Drosnock awoke later in the morning and called SBRP, they initially told him they had no report.
At this point, DUI charges against Miller are highly unlikely precisely because SBRP failed to conduct a field sobriety test or have blood drawn at the time of the accident. But he is by no means out of the woods.
Under Pennsylvania's Vehicle Code, the driver of any vehicle involved in an accident that causes damage to another person's property has an affirmative obligation to notify the owner of his name, address, registration number of vehicle and proof of financial responsibility. Failure to do so is a third degree misdemeanor, which carries a maximum fine of $2,500 and a year in jail.
In this case, Drosnock was in his home and asleep. His pellet stove was in operation. Miller hit the pipe leading to the stove and moved it. Had it gone over, the house could have burnt down. Had the pipe been bent differently, it would have released noxious fumes inside Drosnock's home, killing him.
Yet Miller made no attempt to contact Drosnock. According to Drosnock, there were no footprints on either of his porches, even though it had snowed. Had Miller bothered to look, he would see both a car and a truck were parked in the garage. He failed to look because he had been drinking and wanted to get out of there. The SBRP were busy covering Miller's tracks and wanted to get out of there, too. Their conduct recklessly endangered Drosnock's life, which is a second degree misdemeanor.
Neither Miller nor SBRP has reason to rest easy.
49 comments:
I concur Bernie with you. The Chief charged with the numerous traffic offenses along with the M-2 & M-3. Depending on what the evidence developes prior to the accident the DUI can further show impaired so add another M-2. The SBRPD officers are looking at least Criminal Conspiracy and filing a false report.
This is far from over as the coverup is as bad as the drunken Chief. They forgot with the false info they gave that is a crime and a neighbor has a tape showing the weather and road surface that night. Law Enforcement and the communities served deserve better and justice. The actions of that night truly endangered this man and his family. What a violation of this man's domicile. A local saying of you cannot break the law when your are the law is about to become educated and the public is owed accountability.
I would say butt pucker oh crap moment. Some police men have ethics and values already and is taught as part of the police training Apparently this gang ride the short bus. Did they honestly think they are gonna BS the DA and the entire community?
Two ways to view this. As a Philla Cop Houck could be seen as the ultimate cop protector and maintain the thin blue line of covering up for each other. On the pother hand since he was a Philla cop, a real police force with reel crime and real training he has all the cop street creed he needs. Unlike other DA's he may not feel the need to prove how much he likes cops. He can be the guy to look at these Barny Fife type operations in the good ole boy backwoods' and put a stop to this BS,
I wish him luck. Sadly there are too many loose cannons out there in unfirms carrying weapons'. I hear about all these psych exams and there is no way some of these guys ever came close to passing one.
Is the photo on LVL of a “plastic hub cap” accully a broken wheel with rubber stripped off ? If so , that might indicate that that wheel had struck something harder while almost perpendicular to the traveling of the vehicle. Almost like sideways and plowing. Even if there was no snow accumulation , not unlikely that “ice ,or black ice “ may have formed on pavement . Jack and Glad’s (Kessersville Hotel ) had lots of people leave their place and would get into the turns too hard in the old days.
Sad to see his actions were catalist in bad judgement and a crime now other police careers are soon to be over due to more bad judgement..if SBPD would have followed the law they would not be in trouble as well. They could have easily called and in the State Police and they would be praised for professional handling.They all should be on suspension without pay and terminated along with wife abuser Gwozdz. This shows a pattern of concern for the entire Slate Belt. Washington Township needs a new Chief and at least two officers. Gwozdz and another Officer who is on job still working at 75 years old. YES folks 75 years old. Just another in this department of failed leadership. A 75 year old man working full time is another danger to the community and himself. Talk about a hot mess of a police department. 75 years old and that is scary.
My question is to SBRPD. Was it worth your name, career and integrity to not handle this like any other DUI and leave the scene property damage accident? You have NO one to blame but yourselves
It seems like you steer what gets investigated by the courthouse offices. Maybe you should right about all the wrong doing by the County Executive to the employees. Maybe something would get done and maybe not since you think he is wonderful. He can't be out soon enough. One of the worst ever!
Are they all members of the Portland Mason 311? Miller and Gwozdz are. I guess they turn them fancy aprons around and cover the Brothers butt. What kind of organization has a membership with these bottom dwellers?
SBRPD is completely compromised. At minimum, the chief should resign immediately. Then, the entire department should be investigated, reorganized, or disbanded, if necessary. There was a time when the feds took over the dirty Easton PD during Prohibition. It was cleaned out and reorganized. I think this needs to happen to all departments, large and small, from time to time. If I'm a criminal defense attorney for a client facing charges filed by SBRPD, I'm going to investigate every seedy piece of background on each member of a clearly corrupt department. Sunshine is a beautiful thing. Hat tip to the home owner for opening the shades.
Cant wait to hear back from Bernie on the cover up that went on a SBRPD that got s Lt. And Sgt fired about a year or so ago and it was swept under the rug. They harrassed, stalked and committed computer crimes against a female officer in Dept.
So at best, the SBRPD is incompetent by not conducting a field sobriety test and at worst, they covered this incident up.
I cannot understand how they can see the amount of damage caused and yet feel that they did not need to conduct a test. I wonder if the average citizen would get that same treatment? Of course they wont because the police protect their own.
How about investigating why the Chamber of Commerce in Nazareth doesn't have to shovel there snow and create a danger to everyone who has to walk in the street to avoid this icy mess. No one cleaned it up and it's several days since it snowed.
"So at best, the SBRPD is incompetent by not conducting a field sobriety test and at worst, they covered this incident up."
No it is a failure to act, lying to the DA and superiors and filing of false reports and criminal conspiracy in assisting the Chief in his crime and cover up of his crime of DUI and property damage, leaving scene etc and then lying about it trying to say oh that?? umm yea....
This is not they are just incompetent but part of a crime in criminal conspiracy, filing false reports and lying to other law enforcement investigating this. A few Misdemeanor charges and a resignation are in order for each these two rogue cops and stay tuned there might be more as this unfolds. Slate Belt Regional Board members should be very very concerned of this behavior and its Chief Mettin included.
Maybe they will all get suspended with pay and Lou Perillio of Perillo Tours can run a tour out of the cesspool called Wind Gap for rogue cops to travel to sunny Italy or Hawaii? Perillo Tours - Official Site | Italy & Hawaii.
Or maybe a tour down to Easton when wife beater Defendant Mark J. Gwozdz goes on trial for terroristic threats in the case of his wife abuse of wife # 3. They can stop at the very bar Chief Miller got wasted at in Forks Twp on the night of his expert DUI driving home.
I do hope Mark Gwozdz on his tax payer funded junket to Hawaii brings back those Hawaiian shirts for the Board of Supervisors, Chief Miller and all the other rogue cops. They do even have them in "wife beaters"- no sleeves to show off your manly man or manly woman tats. A diversion of the big belly.
Maybe Gwozdz by the looks of that pic with the battleship Missouri can become the "fashion police" for the Slate Belt region and Washington Township? Gee I hope so we need more colorful in the Bangor area besides our colorful policemen.
In reading what has taken place this is exactly what we as private citizens do NOT want to see from our Police. The DA needs to arrest them and get this bunch of hooligans out of police work.
Didn't I read here that he was captured on video in a local booze establishment parking lot prior to the accident?
Did anyone request the 911 tape from that night. This will tell who called the crash in.It might also tell if Slate Belt pD did request PSP but they were busy at another call. Just them two pieces makes you curious!
All of you get back to work…… NOW !!!!! If you're monitoring or posting on this blog then you're certainly cheating your current employer of his allotted eight hours. This is theft of services, the service being the "TIME" you should be working instead of posting misspelled words, complete with scattered ideas, poor punctuation and grammar. Get a life, pay your Washington township taxes, give praise the deity of your choice and have compassion for one another.
Sorry missing the word "to" completes the preposition, to the deity of your choice.
Wow right back at ya! It's called breaks and lunch break. Oh and free time before or after work. I'm thrilled, no ecstatic that this has gained the public interest and attention that it has. It's about time!
Was just going to mention those incidents. Chief Mettin hand picked his lieutenant at the time, least qualified out of many candidates. Many officers told Mettin about his unethical behavior before Mettin made him Lieutenant, but Mettin ignored them because he was susceptible to brown nosing. It eventually came back to haunt him and his hands were tied and he had to cut his little kiss ass loose. Mettin is all about his spit and polish phony persona. Unfortunately for the slate belt, they were in love with his speaking ability and easily fooled by him.
Not only is he a Masonic gang member, he also belongs to the same criminal gang as state senator Browne. There is one difference the incident was not in da Martin's jurisdiction so he could give a free pass to the actor as well as the downtown establishment that served alcoholic beverages to a person that was well above the legal limit. Knowing that the actor was set to drive on local highways.
Criminals acting as representatives of the state bypassing laws that others are to abide by. Question on the driver licence test; what is the legal limit to drink and drive? Driving under the influence at any level is criminal!!!!
Sadly the DA was less than convincing on WFMZ. Sounded like there are 2 sets of rules as far as administration of field sobriety testing. I certainly hope I made the correct decision in November.
Property damage, leaving the scene, not contacting police (the tow truck driver called), not notifying the homeowner of damages, his actions could have caused bodily injury/death, trespassing, removing evidence, reckless driving. That should all stand on its own. There isn't and can't be a double standard just because he's a police officer. Man up Miller. You're lucky you didn't kill someone that night.
Bernie , how did The Police I the venue know there’re was an accident into a house in the first place..? Normally at that time they would back at the barn ,not running around. Who called them? Who called wrecker services? Who did cop get out of area ? Who picked him up?
All involved in this criminal cover-up should have to pay the price of losing job as well as pension health care as well as be jailed!
If SBRPD let a dangerous drunk go free to endanger me and my loved ones, I'm certain the DA will reserve especially firm treatment for those in authority who violated our public trust. To do otherwise would be acting in complicity with the violators. The public is watching, thanks to a courageous homeowner, and this blog. Would the DA's office have responded without this blog's pressure? I certainly hope that wasn't the case.
Todays Morning Call has a story reporting that the tow truck driver called the police.
We’re very happy [the district attorney is] taking it on,” Hoadley said. “We want to show transparency here.”
The above statement is a clip from The Morning Call article dated today, January 22nd. Hoadley is a SBRP officer who was on the scene of Miller's accident after the tow truck driver called 911. Sadly, we can't go back in time and apply the transparency that Hoadley speaks of. The need for a sobriety test was ignored. And now, because the SBRP didn't conduct themselves professionally and thoroughly the DA has to come in and clean up the mess that they made. This entire situation is embarrassing. So many "professionals " involved who chose to look the other way. Good old boy mentality. Thank you to the tow truck driver who ethically and morally did the right thing.
This stinks to high heaven! 2 departments comprised! I remember a time, not that long ago, when the Washington Twsp. Police Dept. had a sterling reputation- you never heard any BS coming from it. Now it's an embarrassment! Any man, who gets his jollies out of beating women, should be in jail, not protecting and serving the citizens of any municipality. My hope, is that the supervisors finally do the right thing, and fire these two egotistical maniacs.
Bernie, it seems most public servants wipe one another's ass here in the Lehigh valley. Hence most have others shit under there finger nails as well as on there hands. The honorable judge that claimed the valley to be a cesspool was correct, except for it being a human invaded cesspool above ground poisoning all venues of life and infecting the constitution at it's very core.
A man's home becomes a weapon for these parasites to destroy and dismantle this man's sleeping in peace and quite for the rest of his life. All because a couple of drunken cops playing palsywalsys cover one another's crimes against the public they are sworn to protect and serve!
We all know that Mettin is bugging out to return to home turf..so who will be the next Chief? Hoadley?
He called police when he found pieces of Miller’s vehicle and mud strewn everywhere. The responding officers had no information on the crash on the morning of Jan. 6, Drosnock said.
Above is a clip from LV Live. But WFMZ said Miller never left the scene. That totally conflicts with the above clip that states that the following morning when the responding officers arrived they had no record. There's so much wrong with this whole situation. TOTAL cover up.
Transparency would have been to release body video to all the media that asked for it. Heck, put it on Facebook. That's transparency. Give it to the gov???
Very simple: Get the video from Woody's, AND the bodycam video!
9:17 pm
Fake News selling a sack o shit as progress in the good old boyz cesspool pigspen?
Couldn't be simpler in this day and age with all the gadgetry paid for by public tax dollars and if said electronics are wiped clean, wipe clean the whole anus! Top to bottom as backwards is always backwards.
Ageist
Probably not.
So the News didn't sound like the DA thought much of the incident.
Yes exactly. If there's any evidence to clear up this cover up bring it. It's disgusting what this man is trying to get away with. I can't wait to hear that one of the reporters from wfmz, lv live or morning call stops in at Woody's and gets the beginning to this story.
There will be no criminal charges.. as much as any of you want to foam at the mouth about wanting them . LOL.....this will be treated like any other motor vehicle accident...there is NO criminal case of not reporting anything..Lol...the cops were there, knocked on the door to attempt to notify and check the welfare and the dude wouldn't wake up from a crash that hit his house? A reasonable person would think no one is home. Why would Miller attempt to then when he saw the cops had no luck. Miller probably didn't even have a pen or paper on him at the moment to leave anything...maybe he was shaken up from the crash...looks pretty bad..I can see some "shock" from that impact. Any fist year paralegal could get Miller off on ANY charge they would want to file...move on to more important things like the 10 experienced dispatchers the county and city in Allentown are going to lose because the County can't understand progressive discipline.
It is quite obvious that no one, Miller, SBRP, etc. attempted to alert homeowne . The homeowner stated that there were prints in the snow "going in circles" BUT NO PRINTS APPROACHING HIS PORCH OR ON HIS PORCH. Cover up. Cover up. Cover up.
Anon 5:49 PM : If you are home and a car crashes into your house to do that much damage don't you think you would wake up? If you don't what makes you think a knock at the door would do anything...also do you know how much noise a wrecker makes taking a vehicle away? LOL.....the guy called the PD and ultimately went to the PD and found out exactly what happened and Miller's insurance is taking care of it..so.....
So due to snow flurries, traveling the speed limit..I loose control..hit someone's house, it's dark outside.. completely silent there in the township..oops. So I shake the cob webs away.. Get out of my truck... Damn I broke my wheel..i guess I'll call someone to tow my truck... Really
"If you are home and a car crashes into your house to do that much damage don't you think you would wake up? If you don't what makes you think a knock at the door would do anything...also do you know how much noise a wrecker makes taking a vehicle away? LOL.....the guy called the PD and ultimately went to the PD and found out exactly what happened and Miller's insurance is taking care of it..so.."
Mr. Drosnock wears earplugs to sleep and obviously did not hear the crash. He would not hear someone knocking at his door. That's no excuse for breaking the law. The law required Miller to notify Drosnock and provide him with identifying information. He coukld have left a note but failed, in violation of the Vehicle Code.Miller had hit a pipe leading directly to Drosnock's pellet stove. Had that gone over, Drosnock would be dead. Had the pipe bent bent differently, Drosnock would be dead from fumes.
Two police officers at the scene and Miller could easily determine from looking thru the garage window that a truck and car were parked there. It is completely inexcusable that they left without insuring Drosnock was safe. They are guilty of recklessly endangering the life of another. They were too busy covering Miller's tracks to care about someone's life.
All three should be charged.
Atown DA wraps up robbery shooting as a good shoot. Why don't we know what happened here in the belt? As a tax payer I want to know who is in charge at regional? I hope it's not some rookie cop.
DA was a cop. He goes to law school and passes. Now ,he runs for election ,and wins. Stop reading anything else into his mindset. Integrity is just that. One posses it or doesn’t. Stop pre judging him. Most of you and certainly me could not be him now.
Lots of shady drama coverups goin on. DA is gonna have a field day getting to bottom of this. No stone unturned
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