Crime & Safety

Police Blotter: Drunk Driving Stop Leads to Small Car Fire

Police say Michael J. Thompson of Pittsburgh dropped a lit cigarette onto some rags in his car.

A 56-year-old Pittsburgh man mistakenly started a fire in his car after being stopped on suspicion of drunk driving.

charged Michael J. Thompson, 56, with drunk driving and careless driving.

Officers were on patrol in the area of Route 65 and Walnut Street when they received a report of a car moving all over the road. Police tracked down the car just prior to White Ave. Police said the car was moving very slowly and made an exaggerated swerve into the right lane, nearly striking the curb. The car then began traveling in the middle of both lanes, police said.

Find out what's happening in Sewickleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Officers stopped the car near the Hazel Lane intersection, where the driver nearly struck the curb while attempting to pull over.

Police said the driver smelled strongly of alcohol and was given a field sobriety test. At one point, while reciting the alphabet, the man paused after fumbling through the letters and said, “I can do this,” police said.

Find out what's happening in Sewickleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Getting out of his car, police said, Thompson had to grab the door for balance and lean back into the car. He told police he had just gotten off work and had a few beers.

After he failed a series of tests, police placed Thompson into custody and arranged to tow his vehicle. Police said Thompson wanted his house keys off the key chain, so an officer went to get the keys and noticed several rags on fire in the car.

Police said it appeared Thompson dropped a lit cigarette onto the rags. The officer removed the rags and extinguished the fire with a bottle of water. Thompson was taken for a blood-alcohol test and released to his daughter.

The following information was supplied by the Sewickley Police Department. Arrests do not indicate a conviction.

Car towed

  • Police received a report July 11 at 10 a.m. for two vehicles parked in the 800 block of Thorn Street where signs were placed on traffic cones prohibiting parking due to gas line work on the roadway. Police arranged for the first vehicle to be moved, but were unable to locate the owner of a silver BMW. Police said there was no other option but to have the car towed.

Yard debris reported

  • Officers were called to the 600 block of Maple Lane July 10 for a report of suspicious activity. Police said a resident arrived home and found two large black plastic bags in her yard and didn’t know what was in them. Police opened the bags and found leaves and tree debris inside. Police believed the landlord had the gutters cleaned at the home.   

Numerous alarms reported

  • Police were dispatched to an alarm on July 8 at 4:27 a.m at the post office at 521 Thorn St. Police said this has been an ongoing problem with the post office and the postal inspector was advised the post office would be cited if it happened again. Police said there have been nine false alarms at the post office since April.

Car accident reported

  • No one was injured following a two-vehicle crash at 2:30 p.m. July 7 in the 500 block of Route 65. Police said a car driven by 23-year-old Shauna Marski of Freedom attempted to turn left at Broad Street and was struck by a vehicle driven by David Koleisien, 50, of Ambridge. Both cars were towed from the scene.

Missing person found

  • Police were called July 6 at 6:50 p.m. for a report of a 90-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s who had been missing for about an hour. Police found the woman at the YMCA watching a tennis game.

Gun found

  • A fisherman at the Walnut Street boat launch July 3 reeled in a firearm from the Ohio River, police said. Police were called after Joseph Ball, who was fishing near the boat dock, reeled in a black .380 Smith & Wesson. Police said the magazine was missing and the slide mechanism was seized up. The gun belongs to Michael Kendall of Aliquippa. Police said the gun hadn’t been reported lost or stolen.

Raccoon attacks dog

  • Officers were called to a home in the 200 block of Elwick Street for a report of a raccoon that bit someone’s dog. Police saw the raccoon high up in a tree when officers arrived. The dog had minor wounds to its face and leg. The owner was advised to call a veterinarian and 911 if the raccoon comes down and doesn’t leave the area.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Sewickley