Washington County assistant district attorney charged with DUI
An assistant district attorney in Washington County is facing criminal charges alleging that she was drunk when she drove her vehicle through a red light in North Strabane Township.
North Strabane police charged Rachel Anne Wheeler, 37, Friday with misdemeanors for driving under the influence.
Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh said Monday that Wheeler remains a county employee, but declined further comment, calling it a “personnel issue.”
Wheeler, of North Strabane, did not return a phone call seeking comment. Online court records did not list an attorney for her by Monday’s deadline.
According to the criminal complaint, Wheeler drove through a steady red light while driving north on Route 19 at its intersection with Racetrack Road shortly before 10 p.m. June 21. A police officer was waiting at the red light on Racetrack and began to pull into the intersection when it turned green as Wheeler drove past, the complaint reads.
Wheeler pulled into the shopping plaza at Wildflower Circle when police stopped her, but described her as being uncooperative and argumentative.
The complaint indicated the arresting officer could smell alcohol, and Wheeler told police she was coming from a “Washington County District Attorney going away party” and that alcohol was served at the function. It was not immediately clear where the gathering was held or who attended.
According to the complaint, Wheeler let out an “exaggerated huff” as she was asked to step out of the vehicle for a sobriety test.
“…Ms. Wheeler asked multiple times if ‘we had to do this.’ I instructed her to enter the starting position as I demonstrated it for her. She again made multiple comments towards me about the nature of the traffic stop and who she was. She made comments towards my backup officer that she could not believe I was doing this,” police wrote in the complaint.
Wheeler blew into a Breathalyzer at the scene, registering a blood-alcohol content of 0.147, above the legal limit of 0.08, according to court documents. As police took her into custody, Wheeler again told officers, “You don’t need to do this,” the complaint reads.
At the North Strabane police station, Wheeler initially refused to take another breath test but eventually agreed, according to the complaint. The second test showed her BAC was 0.141.
Online court records indicate that Wheeler has yet to be arraigned on the charges. A preliminary hearing has not been scheduled.