North Hills DUI checkpoint on Route 19 nets 5 arrests

Five people were arrested Saturday at a sobriety checkpoint along Route 19/Perry Highway in McCandless, officials said.

The North Hills DUI Task Force conducted the checkpoint with help from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s Checkpoint Strike Force.

Of more than 1,100 cars that passed through the stationary checkpoint near the Wexford shopping area:

• Eight people were administered field sobriety tests

• Three arrested for driving under the influence and one arrested for driving under the influence of drugs

• One arrested for possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia

• 22 citations were issued related to vehicle code violations

The law enforcement event marked the 17th DUI checkpoint of the year in the North Hills.

A total of 226 checkpoints or roving patrols have yielded 949 arrests by the North Hills DUI Task Force, according to DUI project coordinators Chief Jon Lape and Officer Brian Dobson of the West Deer Township Police Department.

The task force includes police from Etna, Indiana, Northern Regional, O’Hara, Ross, Shaler, West Deer, West View, McCandless and Millvale.

Butler DUI checkpoint yields 4 arrests

Also over the weekend, Pennsylvania State Police conducted a sobriety checkpoint along Route 8 in Center Township, Butler County, from 11 p.m. Friday through 3 a.m. Saturday.

Troopers at the Butler County checkpoint had contact with 155 drivers, making four DUI arrests, issuing 12 traffic citations and giving 26 warnings, state police said Sunday night.