Youngwood man faces charges after high-speed chase

Apr. 3—A Youngwood man is accused of being intoxicated when he crashed during a police chase, injuring a female passenger.

Greensburg Police said Zachary J. Burkholder, 29, nearly hit a police car around 3 a.m. Saturday when he pulled onto Ehalt Street. Officers followed the Honda Civic onto College Avenue and tried to make a traffic stop when they said Burkholder sped up to 70 mph in areas where the speed limit is 35 and 45 mph, according to court papers.

The car crashed on a bend in the road between Park Lane and Mt. Thor Road, police said. The passenger had head and face injuries that required immediate medical attention.

Authorities said they saw numerous empty, unopened and partially full cans and bottles of alcohol in the car. Burkholder appeared to be intoxicated and police said his blood-alcohol content was .205%. The legal limit to drive in Pennsylvania is .08%.

He was freed on $5,000 unsecured bail on charges of fleeing from police, driving under the influence, reckless endangerment and related offenses. An April 13 preliminary hearing is set. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .