MTPD: Man Causes Three-Vehicle Accident, Arrested for Eighth DUI

Keith Heffintrayer•

A Philadelphia man has been arrested and charged with his eighth DUI, following a three-vehicle accident on Route 309 in Montgomery Township.

Isaac Whaley III, 48, has been charged with misdemeanor counts of DUI, habitual offenders, and accident involving damage to attended vehicles, in connection with the incident.

According to the criminal complaint, Montgomery Township Police were dispatched to the area of Route 309 and Hartman Road on Dec. 15 at 7:15 p.m. for a report of a vehicle crash. Once on scene, police were informed that the driver of the striking vehicle—identified as Whaley—had left his vehicle and fled the scene on foot northbound on Hartman Road. Police then utilized a K-9 unit from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department to track down the suspect, who was found laying prone in mud and high weeds outside of a nearby quarry.

The report indicates that police immediately noticed a strong odor of alcohol on Whaley’s breath, adding that he had glassy eyes, slurred speech and little balance. The criminal complaint also states that Whaley failed a field sobriety test, and had a blood alcohol content of .194, which is more than double the legal limit. When asked to consent to a blood sample, Whaley—who was on state parole for a prior DUI conviction—reportedly said "I’m not going to give blood. I’m going to jail anyway,” the report states.

Once in custody, Whaley reportedly informed police that he had borrowed his brother’s car to meet someone in the area. "He let me hold it, and I just f**ked it up,” said Whaley, according to the criminal complaint. A detainer for Whaley was also filed by his parole officer at that time, and a records search indicated that Whaley was not eligible to drive until Feb. 11, 2035. An opened bottle of apple brandy was also found in the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

Whaley was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Francis J. Lawrence Jr. on Dec. 16, and remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Dec. 26, in front of Magisterial District Judge Andrea Hudak Duffy.

No injuries were reported in connection with the accident.

(Editor's note: All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. Should the defendant choose to issue a public statement, or is later found not guilty or has the charges dropped, we will update this article accordingly.)