Man pleads guilty to taking mail truck, driving wrong-way on I-79 in Greene County
Agrees to enter specialized drug treatment program to avoid jail time
The former U.S. Postal Service employee who commandeered a mail truck and drove it the wrong way on Interstate 79 near Waynesburg early last year pleaded guilty to all charges Tuesday and will be admitted to a specialized drug treatment court.
Tyler Aiello Floro, 37, appeared in the Greene County Courthouse before President Judge Lou Dayich and accepted a plea deal from prosecutors that will allow for all charges to be dismissed if he successfully completes the county’s 18-month drug treatment program.
Floro took the mail truck from a post office facility in Moon Township on Jan. 22, 2023, and drove it south to Greene County where state police spotted the stolen vehicle and attempted to stop him. He then began driving the wrong way in the northbound lanes of the interstate near the Waynesburg interchange while dodging traffic for about two miles.
No vehicles were struck and police were able to stop the truck, although he resisted as troopers arrested him. Floro told troopers he had taken fentanyl earlier in the day.
Floro, who previously lived in Sewickley but moved to Waynesburg recently to undergo the drug program, answered Dayich’s questions before he could be admitted into the system, which includes meeting with the judge every two weeks to check on his progress.
“Do you remember all the stuff that was going on?” Dayich asked Floro about the mail truck incident.
“Yes,” Floro responded.
Floro, who told the judge he has been drug free since September 2023, admitted that he was “slightly” nervous about entering the program because although graduation would mean the dismissal of all charges, any failure could mean he would be sentenced for his guilty plea within 90 days.
“But it seems like the right (decision),” Floro said.
“If you get through the program successfully, the charges will be dismissed,” Dayich said, adding there are numerous resources available to those enrolled in the county’s drug treatment court.
Floro pleaded guilty to felony charges of fleeing police, assaulting a law enforcement office and aggravated assault, and misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest, reckless endangerment, driving under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
His defense attorney, Lee Rothman, thanked the courts for its “patience” while both sides worked out a plea agreement that he thinks will be beneficial for his client to rebuild his life.
“He’s committed to this, and we’re very grateful to this county,” Rothman said.
Floro spent about a week in the Greene County jail after his arrest, but he has since been free on $20,000 bond. He pleaded guilty to one summary offense of disorderly conduct in Allegheny County in May 2023 for taking the mail truck in Moon Township.