MOUNT CARMEL - A 40-year-old Coal Township man, who was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and hit and run in connection with three accidents that occurred within minutes of each other last month, waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday afternoon before Magisterial District Judge Hugh Jones.
Leon Phillips, of Hemlock Street, who is employed as a corrections officer at the State Correctional Institution at Frackville, was ordered by Jones to appear for plea court May 21 at Northumberland County Courthouse in Sunbury after waiving two counts each of DUI and hit and run, and one count of failure to provide information and render aid, a stop sign violation and accidents involving death or personal injury.
The charges were filed by Coal Township Patrolman Joshua Wynn.
Phillips is accused of crashing his sport utility vehicle into three vehicles Feb. 17 in the east end of the township, including those occupied by a judge and local police officer.
Police reported Phillips had a blood-alcohol content of .237 percent.
The defendant, who wore his state prison uniform to the hearing, was represented by Attorney Stephen Maitland of Mechanicsburg.
He told the judge that he understood his rights and the ramifications of waiving his case to the Court of Common Pleas, where he can plead guilty or no contest, or seek a trial by pleading not guilty.
Phillips remains free on $10,000 unsecured bail.
The charges were filed at Jones' office in Mount Carmel because Magisterial District Judge John Gembic III is one of the victims in the case.
Wynn said Phillips was driving a silver Ford Expedition east on Tioga Street at about 2:30 p.m. when his vehicle crashed into the rear of a mini van operated by Elizabeth Gembic, 16, of Elysburg, who was stopped at the intersection of Tioga Street and Route 901 at the bottom of Rock Cut Road.
Gembic and her father, Magisterial District Judge John Gembic III, suffered injuries in the accident and were transported by private vehicle to Geisinger-Shamokin Area Community Hospital, where they underwent emergency room treatment before being released.
After hitting Gembic's van, police said Phillips became argumentative before turning around and heading west on Tioga Street. Police said witnesses reported seeing Phillips traveling at a high rate of speed and failing to stop for stop signs at Tioga and Hess streets and Tioga and Thomas streets.
At Tioga and Meade streets, police said Phillips' sport utility vehicle crashed into the rear of a pickup truck operated by John Young, of West Mulberry Street, Coal Township, who was stopped for a stop sign.
Police reported Phillips became argumentative toward Young before attempting to flee the scene. Police said Phillips then backed his vehicle into a Dodge truck operated by Edward Purcell, of Tioga Street, Coal Township, who is a Coal Township police officer and DUI coordinator for the southern end of Northumberland County.
Young, Phillips and Purcell were not injured.
None of the four vehicles involved in the crashes required towing.