Schuylkill driver facing DUI, hit/run

A Schuylkill County driver is facing charges of driving under the influence (DUI) and hit and run following an incident that occurred about 1:10 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 8, along Sweet Arrow Lake Road near the Ebling Auto Glass property in North Manheim Township.

State police at Schuylkill Haven said Jennifer Pickett, 25, of Schuylkill Haven, was driving a 2002 Saturn SC-1 eastbound when she lost control and traveled onto the south berm. The car traveled along the berm while striking a PennDOT road sign with the right front. She continued along the berm before getting hung up on a piece of concrete, troopers said.

Troopers said Pickett "insisted" on getting free from the concrete and after some time she was able to free her vehicle and she then fled the scene, continuing eastbound towards SR183. She was later located in Cressona traveling north on SR183.

She was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance. She failed field sobriety tests and then taken to the Schuylkill Medical Center-S. Jackson St., Pottsville, where she submitted to a blood test.

The DUI charge is pending the test results, troopers said.