Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

KINGSTON TWP. — The Harveys Lake councilman accused of DUI after crashing into garbage cans with his Cadillac will now face charges in county court.

Thomas Kehler, who serves as council vice president, did see several counts against him dismissed, however. Those include damage to unattended property and failure to notify police of an accident, online court records show.

He is still facing counts of DUI and careless driving.

Police said Kehler left the scene of an accident following an April 2 hit-and-run on Spring Street in the borough.

After officers tracked him down, Kehler reportedly told them: “I’m a Harveys Lake council member. That’s kinda cool, huh?”

According to a criminal complaint, Kehler’s white Cadillac hit garbage cans and yard decorations, then sped away up Dudley Avenue.

Witnesses gave police a description of the vehicle and the direction it was traveling in.

Officers later located a vehicle with damage to its front left side, which matched the impact with the garbage cans.

Police then knocked on the door of an Old Lake Road residence, and Kehler emerged from a back door, the complaint says.

Police said he had a “long dazed stare” and smelled of alcohol. He also had glassy eyes, slurred his speech, and had a hard time keeping his balance, authorities noted.

Kehler confirmed the vehicle belonged to him, but said he didn’t know where Dudley Avenue was when asked about the hit-and-run.

When Kehler went to retrieve his driver’s license from the car, police said he stumbled several times. And when Kehler went to sit down in the driver’s seat, he missed the seat and nearly fell to the ground, according to the complaint.

A blood test revealed Kehler’s blood-alcohol content was .186 percent, records show. That’s more than double the driving limit of .08.

https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_web1_kehler-2-1.jpg.optimal.jpg

By Eileen Godin

[email protected]

Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews.