Man accused of hitting trooper with truck
A Fredericktown man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly striking and injuring a state trooper with his pickup truck while fleeing a traffic stop.
State police say Trooper Heather Gonglik from the Belle Vernon barracks was directing traffic at the scene of an accident on South Main Street in Bentleyville about 6 p.m. when 62-year-old Arnold J. Frankie approached in his Ford F-250 truck. Police say Frankie was directed to stop but failed to do so. Gonglik eventually managed to stop the vehicle and approached the truck to speak with the driver. According to police, after Gonglik talked with Frankie for a short time, he began to drive away, ignoring orders to stop. As the truck accelerated, Gonglik was struck by the truck and thrown to the ground, police said, but she was able to pursue Frankie’s vehicle for about six-tenths of a mile before he stopped. He was then arrested without incident.
Frankie faces a host of charges, including multiple felony counts of aggravated assault. He was arraigned before District Judge Joshua Kanalis and placed in Washington County Jail on $150,000 bond.
State police said Gonglik was treated at an area hospital for minor to moderate injuries and released.