Apr 13, 2021 4 min read

Washington City Councilman Matthew Staniszewski will be released from jail to enter a rehabilitation facility nearly two months after state police said he was intoxicated when he crashed his SUV on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Bedford County.

President Judge John DiSalle agreed Monday to allow Staniszewski to leave the Washington County jail where he’s been held since the day after the Feb. 16 crash in order to undergo a 30-day inpatient treatment program.

“Are you ready to dive into this, Mr. Staniszewski?” DiSalle said.

“Yes, sir,” Staniszewski responded while attending the hearing through video conferencing at the jail. “I regret the decisions I’ve made. Recovery is a very difficult journey at times.”

The hearing Monday was to resentence Staniszewski for violating the terms of his probation from a previous drunken driving conviction in Washington in August 2019.

Staniszewski, 44, was serving six months probation and was just eight days away from completing it when he was arrested by state police after hitting the concrete median barrier while traveling east on the turnpike near Bedford. Staniszewski’s blood-alcohol level registered .267% – more than three times the legal limit to operate a motor vehicle in the state – at the time of the crash when the arresting trooper found his disabled SUV partially blocking the highway’s left lane about 7:45 p.m., according to the charges filed March 11. Staniszewski admitted to drinking wine earlier in the morning, according to court documents.

The day after the crash, Staniszewski’s parole officers were notified of the arrest and went to his father’s home to pick him up on the probation violation. He was found to be intoxicated with an empty bottle of whiskey, probation officer Anson Zacour testified Monday.

Staniszewski has been jailed for 55 days while on the bench warrant for the probation violation. His attorney, Sean Logue, said Staniszewski was approved last week for a 30-day inpatient treatment program at Recovery Centers of America’s facility in Monroeville.

“They’re ready to go now,” Logue said.

Michael Ogden, the rehab center’s chief executive officer, testified by telephone that the 138-bed facility would immediately have space available for Staniszewski, and promised an “ongoing process” of outpatient treatment afterward.

But an evaluation by the Washington County Drug and Alcohol Commission suggested Staniszewski should enter long-term inpatient treatment for his substance abuse disorder. Assistant District Attorney Cassidy Gerstner said she was concerned about Staniszewski’s history in which he had four previous DUI arrests.

“Is he willing to really submit to that treatment and live a clean and sober life?” Gerstner said. “We’ve already been here before.”

Staniszewski spent less than 30 days in a treatment program in Donegal, Westmoreland County, following his previous DUI arrest on Aug. 26, 2019, in which he was found unconscious in his parked car that was partially blocking East Wheeling Street in Washington.

DiSalle encouraged Staniszewski to rehabilitate himself and remain sober for the rest of his life, a process the judge acknowledged would be difficult. Staniszewski said he had periods of sobriety after his 2019 arrest, but the COVID-19 pandemic “created barriers” for him to attend programs and stay connected with other people battling addiction.

“I’m begging for the mercy of the court,” Staniszewski said.

“The most important thing is you surrender to it … and are honest with yourself,” DiSalle said.

“I accept and assume full responsibility, your honor,” Staniszewski responded.

DiSalle resentenced Staniszewski to 3 to 6 months in jail, although he will be permitted to immediately attend rehab at the Monroeville facility once the judge’s order is filed, which is expected to happen this week. Staniszewski will also have to wear an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet that will notify his probation officers if he is intoxicated.

“You’re going to get out of it what you put into it,” DiSalle said.

Staniszewski is still facing drunken driving charges in the Bedford County crash, although a preliminary hearing date has not been set.