Police: Father Facing DUI Charges Again, Causing Crash With Child In Backseat
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GREENSBURG (KDKA) – A man is facing DUI and child endangerment charges after causing a crash in Greensburg with a small child in the backseat.
According to police, the crash happened around 9:13 p.m. at the intersection of Harvey Avenue and New Alexandria Road on Feb. 18.
Christian Allen, 44, made an abrupt left turn onto Harvey Avenue and collided with another vehicle head-on.
When police arrived, they noticed Allen still in the vehicle and a child was unrestrained in the backseat.
"He noticed a 6-year-old child running around in the back seat, not buckled into the vehicle," said Greensburg Police Capt. Robert Stafford .
A woman in the other vehicle told police she had a solid green light and was proceeding through the intersection when she was struck by Allen. Both vehicles suffered severe damage.
Police approached Allen and detected a strong odor of alcohol. He admitted to consuming alcohol that evening. He also allegedly had slurred speech and glassy eyes.
"You started noticing he had the smell of alcohol, blood shot eyes, slurring his speech," said Capt. Stafford.
An officer administered a series of field sobriety tests, which Allen failed.
"It was over two times the limit for Pennsylvania," Capt. Stafford said.
Allen was placed under arrest and transported to the Greensburg Police Station for a breathalyzer test. Tests showed his blood alcohol content to be .205.
He is now facing a list of charges including, DUI, recklessly endangering another person and endangering the welfare of children.
It turns out this isn't the first time Allen's been arrested for allegedly driving under the influence, and it's not the first time he's been charged with DUI with a child in the vehicle.
In September of last year, South Greensburg Police arrested Allen for DUI and endangering the welfare of a child after he rolled up to a McDonald's drive-thru. Court records show Allen had slurred speech, made comments, allegedly "hit on" employees, couldn't remember his food order, was acting "strangely," and in the backseat of the vehicle was a 5-year-old child.