February crash spurs charges against man

NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Andre Joseph is expected to be arraigned in the next few weeks on numerous charges stemming from an automobile accident in February.
Matthew Mangino, the Lawrence County district attorney, said Joseph, is being held in the Allegheny County Jail on unrelated charges. Joseph, 24, of Duquesne, Pa., was charged Monday in Lawrence County, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Joseph was seriously injured in a car crash Feb. 16 after a police chase in New Castle. Mangino said it took about 10 months to determine whether federal or local authorities would charge Joseph, because Joseph was wearing a bulletproof vest and had a handgun with a scratched off serial number on him at the time of the crash.
Mangino added that it also took time for an accident reconstructionist to investigate the crash.
Police said Joseph refused to stop when an officer tried to pull him over for a burned-out car light. He eventually crashed into a trash receptacle in the 100 block of Grant Street. He faces numerous traffic and firearms charges.