Jul 15, 2015 3 min read

A Strabane man was arraigned Tuesday on charges filed by Cecil Township police in connection with a May 27 accident in which he and four members of a Muse family were injured.

Daniel J. Sylvers, 56, of 124 Arnold Ave., is charged with aggravated assault by motor vehicle while driving under the influence, driving under the influence of drugs, possession of paraphernalia, tampering with evidence, reckless driving, careless driving, driving on the wrong side of the road and failure to stay in his lane.

Police were called to the two-vehicle crash in the 300 block of Muse-Bishop Road. Sylvers’ vehicle reportedly crossed the center line into the southbound lane, where it struck a sport utility vehicle driven by Paul Heim of Muse.

When police arrived, Sylvers was sitting in the passenger seat of his car. Police said he was confused as to which direction he had been traveling. He reportedly told police he had been reaching down onto the floor of his car looking for his cellphone when he crashed.

Police asked Sylvers for permission to look at his phone, which he refused. Police seized the phone, turned it off and took it into evidence.

A witness told police that she was following Sylvers on O’Hare Road just before the crash. She said he had driven off the right side of the road a couple of times. At one point, she thought he was going to drive into a yard.

Another driver who was in front of Heim’s vehicle said Sylvers drove into her lane and she had to go off the right side of the road to avoid a crash. She also told police he was leaning over the center console and not looking forward. A third person who arrived moments after the crash told police Sylvers was attempting to drive away but could not because of the severity of the damage to his car.

When the tow truck driver prepared to remove Sylvers’ car from the crash scene, police said they spotted a hypodermic needle under the vehicle and a spoon about two feet from the needle. The spoon had a small cotton ball attached to it containing an off-white, powdery substance. Police looked inside the car and said they spotted a glassine bag on the driver’s side floor. The bag was empty but appeared to contain heroin residue, according to police.

Police obtained Sylvers’ records from UPMC-Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh, where he was taken for treatment. The records indicated he had oxycodone, opiates and marijuana in his system, police said.

Heim, his wife, Linda, and their daughter and son were injured in the crash. Heim’s son had to be freed from the wreckage by firefighters from Cecil and Muse. All four were taken to Mercy for treatment.

Sylvers was arraigned before Senior District Judge Jay Dutton and released on $20,000 unsecured bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 30 in Dutton’s office.