Retired Northern Regional Police Chief Carl Segatti charged with DUI

Former Northern York County Chief of Police Carl Segatti has been charged with DUI and other offenses in connection to an early April incident in Springettsbury Township.

According to a complaint filed by Springettsbury Township Police Officer Alex Schrift, around 7:42 p.m. on April 7 a York Area United Fire and Rescue member witnessed Segatti driving a Jeep rear end another car, giving the driver whiplash. The officer ran the numbers on his license plate, seeing it was registered to Segatti's Mini-Cooper instead of the vehicle it was on.

Segatti reportedly got out of the car and spoke with the driver. When approached by the firefighter, Segatti gave his information, got into the Jeep, and when told he could not leave the scene responded "Watch me," before driving away. The firefighter reported he seemed intoxicated.

Schrift said he was contacted by the Northern York Regional Police Department, where Segatti worked for 15 years before retiring in 2010, saying they'd found him and that he had denied consuming alcohol.

Segatti told Schrift he had been taking his mother to buy ice cream, and his foot was wet, causing it to slip off the clutch in his Jeep, causing it to strike the victim's car. He tried to demonstrate the contact between cars was light, tapping Schrift despite his saying not to.

Segatti said he left the scene because he did not want to be out in the rain, believing the crash was minor.

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According to an affidavit, Schrift asked Segatti to perform field sobriety tests, which he refused to do, saying he does not drink at all. But Schrift reported Segatti smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot, glassy eyes.

When Schrift went to arrest Segatti, he amended his statement, saying he had consumed three ounces of vodka before authorities arrived at his home. He referred to this as "affirmative defense," according to the complaint.

Upon arrest, police took vials of Segatti's blood for testing. They concluded he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.216%, well above the legal limit of 0.08% to drive.

The charges brought against Segatti include misdemeanors of driving under the influence, causing personal injury, summary offense of failing to stop and render aid, report the accident to police, driving an unregistered car and fraudulent use of a license plate.

Segatti denies having been issued any notices or paperwork regarding a DUI, but he affirmed he was involved in an accident on April 7.

"I tapped a woman's bumper and I was arrested for DUI, but I've heard nothing since then," Segatti said.

Segatti said he has not received any paperwork over the incident; he is unsure if he was arrested.

According to a court docket, Segatti was issued a Magisterial District Court summons on Tuesday and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on June 29.

Jack Panyard is a reporter at the York Daily Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at jpanyard@ydr.com, 717-850-5935 or on Twitter @JackPanyard.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Former Northern York County Regional Police chief facing DUI charges