Charges mount against area man
A Strabane man, already facing a litany of charges filed by police in Peters and South Strabane townships, now faces additional charges after he allegedly led North Strabane Township police on a brief chase last month before crashing into a Houston home.
Brian Lee Fodor Sr., 45, of 104 Alexander Ave., faces charges of flight to avoid apprehension, reckless endangerment, unauthorized use of a vehicle, criminal mischief, fleeing or attempting to elude police and reckless driving.
North Strabane police Officer Jonathan Miles was in Houston June 5 assisting borough police with a call about a large snake. After finishing the call, Miles was traveling east on East Pike Street when he said he saw Fodor driving the opposite direction in a green van that had been reported stolen by his brother, Ronald Fodor.
Miles turned around his cruiser and tried to stop Fodor, who allegedly fled onto East McNutt Street and crashed the van into a house at 214 E. McNutt, doing $2,640 in damage. Police say Fodor fled on foot into a wooded area, but a retired Marine spotted Fodor hiding and restrained him until police arrived.
Fodor was ordered held for court by District Judge James Ellis June 18 on the robbery charges.
Tuesday, he was ordered held for court by District Judge Jay Weller on charges of retail theft and possession of drug paraphernalia stemming from an incident June 22. Fodor allegedly led customers and an off-duty police officer on a foot chase from Giant Eagle in an incident that happened about a week after a Washington man was fatally shot while trying to stop a man who had just robbed a bank inside the store.
Fodor remains in the Washington County jail on $35,000 bond.