Man charged for fleeing police, breaking into home

A McKees Rocks man is facing charges for fleeing from police during a traffic stop and breaking into a house in Victory Township.

Franklin state police said in a criminal complaint that at about 5:15 p.m. Friday, troopers observed Calvin Taylor, 28, driving his vehicle on Route 8 south and determined his vehicle was traveling about 90 miles an hour.

Police conducted a traffic stop on Taylor’s vehicle and smelled the odor of marijuana and saw “particles of marijuana scattered throughout the vehicle,” the complaint said.

Taylor exited his vehicle at the request of troopers, who noted signs of impairment when they gave him a sobriety test, the complaint said. At that point, police told Taylor he was under arrest for DUI and Taylor fled to his vehicle and entered it, according to the complaint.

One trooper deployed two cartridges from his Taser in an attempt to apprehend Taylor and the other trooper removed Taylor from his vehicle, the complaint said. Both troopers tried unsuccessfully to restrain Taylor, who fled east across the median and Route 8 northbound, the complaint said.

A short time later, Polk Police responded to a residence on Lunnie Lane in Victory Township where residents told them a man, matching the description of Taylor, had entered their home, which is located through the woods to the east of Route 8, the complaint said.

An occupant of the house told Polk Police Taylor had entered the house and asked for her phone, the complaint said. Taylor lunged at her phone and fell on top of her, according to the complaint.

Not long after that, a state trooper who had pulled Taylor over earlier in the evening on Route 8 saw him from the Twin Oaks overpass walking north on the southbound lane of Route 8, the complaint said.

The trooper told Taylor to climb the embankment to where he was, the complaint said. Taylor complied and said he was freezing and needed help, according to the complaint.

Taylor was charged with felony counts of burglary-overnight accommodations person present and flight to avoid apprehension/trial/punishment, misdemeanor counts of DUI, marijuana-small amount personal use and resisting arrest, and three summary charges.

He was arraigned and placed in the Venango County jail because he is considered a flight risk. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 26 in Central Court.