Police Blotter: Driver of Overweight Pickup Facing Numerous Offenses

A 42-year-old pickup driver is facing numerous traffic offenses after officers found his vehicle to be grossly overweight, .

Police said officers noticed Robert McConnell of Grove City had a trailer attached to his pickup May 3 with an expired registration sticker. Police said the tires were also compressed and the trailer hitch was dragging on the ground while the front end of the truck was lifted due to the weight.

Police stopped the man on Pine Street and police said McConnell gave a false name and birth date and claimed he didn’t know his social security number.  He gave his real identify after he was taken into custody for providing false information to law enforcement, police said.

Police said McConnell’s driver’s license was suspended along with both registrations, which were deemed to be fraudulent. The vehicle was towed, weighed and found to be 11,758 pounds overweight. Three juveniles and an adult who were also riding in the vehicle were taken to Subway to wait for another ride. McConnell is charged with false information, maximum gross weight of vehicles, reckless driving, driving under suspension and other offenses. 

Sewickley Police also responded to the following recent incidents. Each incident reflects police records and is not an indication of guilt.  

Two-vehicle crash

Police were dispatched to the Sewickley Bridge May 6 for a report of a two-vehicle crash with possible injuries.

Police said Richard Blinn, 20, of  Rochester, was eastbound over the bridge when he took his eyes off the road and struck the rear of a vehicle driven by Kevin Withers, 46, of Slippery Rock.

Police said Withers was stopped for traffic. Withers complained of a severe headache and was evaluated by Valley Ambulance. Blinn was cited for careless driving.

Deer removal

Police were called May 6 to Route 65 in Glen Osborne for a report of a dead deer in the road at McKown Lane. The deer was removed from the road.

Speeding reports

Police were called May 10 to the 200 block of Bank Street for a report of a sport utility vehicle speeding. While on the way, police received another call about a car speeding down the road.

Police said an officer was unable to locate either vehicle in the area. Police sat in the area for about 20 minutes and monitored traffic on Bank Street, but did not see any vehicles exceed the posted 25 mph speed limit, police said.

Expired inspection

Police stopped a car driven by Byron Brougher, 48, of Coraopolis, on May 9 after the car was seen on Beaver Street with an expired inspection sticker.

Police said Brougher’s driver’s license was also was found to be under suspension, DUI related. He was cited with the offenses and his vehicles were towed.

Suspicious musician

Police were dispatched to the Sewickley Bridge May 1 for a report of a man walking across the bridge playing a guitar. Police arrived and checked both sides of the bridge but didn’t find the musician.