Questions surround the mayor of Perryopolis after he was accused of crashing into another car and driving away while under the influence.
Perryopolis Mayor Charles Petrosky crashed into a mother and her two children in their car at the intersection of Route 51 and Barneys Road last week, Pennsylvania State Police said. According to the criminal complaint, the mayor left the scene instead of exchanging insurance information.
On Wednesday, Petrosky attended a borough council meeting, but he did not speak. At this point, it appears the mayor will not be stepping down.
“I’m staying neutral because basically, there is nothing the borough can do legally,” said Wayne Nicholls, the borough council’s president.
“It’s in the borough code that there’s nothing that the borough council can do to the mayor because we are not his boss,” he added. “He is not our boss.”
The 82-year-old mayor had a blood-alcohol level of nearly twice the legal limit when he was behind the wheel, according to the criminal complaint. The legal limit in Pennsylvania is 0.08.
Police said when they arrived at his home after the crash, he was confused, and his car was damaged. Petrosky was arrested and charged with DUI and hit-and-run.
Petrosky, a Republican, was re-elected to his third non-consecutive term as mayor. Solicitor Melinda Dellarose said the borough council cannot remove him.
“In the Pennsylvania Constitution, it’s very specific as to how a public official is removed,” she said.
“He’s not been convicted of anything, so we’ve not even broached that,” she added.
KDKA tried to contact the mayor on Wednesday but did not hear back.
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