Click here to subscribe today or Login.
By STEVE MOCARSKY smocarsky@leader.net
Sunday, March 16, 2003 Page: 1A
MCADOO – Kline Township officer Joseph Honis says he received three phone
calls right after making the drunken-driving arrest of a borough councilman’s
brother.
The first: from the councilman.
The second: a borough employee.
The third: the mayor.
The councilman asked the officer to “help (him) out with this,” the
employee asked for “a favor,” and the mayor asked if there was “anything
(the officer) could do,” according to a police report.
Mayor Steve Holly said he was not seeking special consideration for the
driver. Attempts to reach Councilman Joseph Madochick and Street Department
employee Rick Lech were unsuccessful.
Honis arrested George Madochick, 46, of South Kennedy Drive on March 1
after an 8:45 p.m. traffic stop on East Blaine Street.
The borough and township have a cooperative agreement to share police
services.
According to the report filed with District Justice Andrew Zelonis in
Tamaqua, Honis saw George Madochick driving a Ford Bronco on East Blaine
Street in the eastbound and westbound lanes. Honis activated his lights and
siren, and Madochick drove two more blocks before pulling over.
Honis smelled alcohol on Madochick’s breath and asked if he would submit to
a field sobriety test. Madochick agreed to go to the police station for a
test, the report says.
Madochick could not stand on his own, had slurred speech and glossy eyes
and staggered. Madochick told Honis, “I know I am over the limit. I have been
drinking for a few hours at the McAdoo VFW,” the report states.
At the police station, Lt. John Petrilla gave Madochick two breath tests
that showed blood-alcohol levels of 0.223 and 0.224, the report states.
Pennsylvania law says an adult driver is intoxicated when blood-alcohol
reaches 0.10.
While at the station, Honis received several calls, the first being from
Joseph Madochick, the report states.
“He said, `This is Councilman Madochick. How can you help me out with
this?’ He was told, `I can’t,’ in a polite way and he hung up,” Honis wrote
in the report.
The second call came from Lech, who said, “Joey, this is Rick from the
borough. Is there anything you can do for Madochick? I need you to do me a
favor.” Honis told Lech he was very busy and “there is nothing that can be
done,” the report states.
The third call came from Holly, who said, “If there is anything you could
do for me, I would really appreciate it,” the report states.
“Mr. Holly was told like the others that called before, `There is nothing
that can be done. I have a job to do and that is that.’ I also told Steve,
`It’s nothing personal, and let’s leave it at that,’ ” Honis wrote in the
report.
Reached at home last week, Holly said he didn’t ask for special
consideration for Madochick.
“As mayor of the town, when there’s an arrest in my borough, I’m
concerned. I found out that a Kline Township police officer made an arrest in
the borough and I called the Kline Township Police Department to find out what
happened,” Holly said.
When asked if he asked Honis the question quoted in the police report and
what it meant, Holly said Honis told him “there were different avenues or
actions he could take.” Then Holly said he simply showed his appreciation for
Honis doing his job.
Asked about the “different avenues,” Holly said Honis told him that if
Madochick passed the breath test, he would be released, and if he failed, he
would be taken to a hospital for a blood-alcohol content test.
Holly said he wondered why Honis didn’t take Madochick for a blood-alcohol
test as he said Honis told him he would. “That made me wonder a little bit.”
It was unclear if Madochick was taken for a blood test.
Several attempts to reach Councilman Madochick at home were unsuccessful.
Lech’s phone number is unlisted and he could not be reached at the municipal
garage.
Honis and Kline Township Police Chief George Pennington declined comment.
Schuylkill County District Attorney Frank Cori said he would not speculate
on the McAdoo incident.
The Pennsylvania Crime Code states that obstructing administration of law
occurs if a person “intentionally obstructs, impairs or perverts the
administration of law or other governmental function by force, violence,
physical interference or obstacle, breach of official duty, or any other
unlawful act.”
In George Madochick’s case, he was already arrested, although not charged,
when Honis received the phone calls. And according to the report, the callers
did not ask Honis not to press charges.
Cori said any investigation into the McAdoo/Kline Township matter would
have to be initiated by Kline Township Police because the calls were received
in
Kline Township.
In Exeter, Councilman John Petrucci was charged with obstructing
administration of law, a second-degree misdemeanor, after asking a police
officer in September 2001 not to arrest his friend during a drunken driving
stop. He is awaiting trial.
Steve Mocarsky, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 459-2005.