A variety of criminal charges against a Port Allegany man accused of fleeing from police while he was driving under the influence of a controlled substance were bound to McKean County Court.
Christopher Taylor, 31, had a preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday before District Judge William Todd.
Taylor is charged with aggravated assault, a first-degree felony; fleeing or attempting to elude police, a third-degree felony; three counts of resisting arrest and one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, second-degree misdemeanors; DUI-controlled substance and possession of a small amount of marijuana for personal use, misdemeanors; and nine traffic summaries.
According to the criminal complaint, at 9:05 p.m. July 5, Port Allegany police officer Tony Tanner tried to pull over a car driven by Taylor after observing the car speeding on U.S. Route 6 and traveling through an intersection without stopping for a red light.
Taylor did not stop immediately, and his vehicle reached speeds in excess of 100 mph during a pursuit, court records stated. He eventually pulled over on the eastbound berm of Route 6.
Taylor was asked to do field sobriety tests after back-up arrived to help Tanner, but he was rude to officers and when he got out of the vehicle, he pushed Tanner backward, according to the complaint.
He resisted when officers tried to handcuff him, and at one point after he was put in the back of a patrol vehicle, he slipped off a handcuff; after police re-cuffed Taylor, he spit on Tanner, the complaint stated. Also, during a stop on the way to UPMC Cole, Taylor allegedly kicked Tanner twice in the leg.
Police reported finding suspected marijuana in the Taylor’s vehicle and said that Taylor smelled like marijuana. Taylor agreed that he was high, but he refused to submit to a blood draw and said he planned to assault Tanner, the complaint stated.
Taylor also did not have permission to drive the vehicle he borrowed out of town, according to court records.
He remains incarcerated in McKean County Jail in lieu of $30,000 bail.
