Courts. (Credit: Flickr Creative Commons)
A Warrington man originally charged with five DUI felonies for allegedly having a .157% BAC during a traffic stop had three of the felonies dismissed at a preliminary hearing last week, with all other felonies and misdemeanors held for Bucks County Common Pleas Court.
Evan Francis Studley, 28, of 1500 block of Stuckert Road, was charged in August with felony counts of DUI of a Schedule 1 controlled substance for the third offense or more, DUI of a Schedule 2 or 3 controlled substance, 3rd offense or more, DUI of a controlled substance-impaired ability, 3rd offense or more, DUI of a controlled substance-metabolite, 3rd offense or more, and DUI of a controlled substance- combination of drugs and alcohol, 3rd offense or more, according to charging documents.
The charges of DUI of a Schedule 2 or 3 controlled substance, 3rd offense or more, DUI of a controlled substance-impaired ability, 3rd offense or more, and DUI of a controlled substance- combination of drugs and alcohol, 3rd offense or more, were dismissed at a Jan. 13 preliminary hearing.
The two remaining felonies, plus misdemeanor charges of DUI – Unsafe driving, and DUI with a BAC between .010% and .016%, and lesser charges of changing lanes without signaling and failure to drive in a single lane of traffic were held for county court. An arraignment is set for Feb. 14.
Studley is free on $10,000 unsecured bail, per court records.
On Aug. 4, 2024, at 3:24 a.m., police were south on South Easton Road near New Britain Road in Doylestown Township, Bucks County, when a black 2014 Mercedes-Benz sedan, allegedly driven by Studley, exited a traffic circle without signaling.
Police said the Mercedes continued south on South Easton Road toward Route 611, where the car merged without signaling again. Studley drove over the fog line with both passenger side tires, police allege.
The Mercedes fluctuated speeds and weaved within its travel lane, per the report. Police activated emergency lights on Route 611 near Almshouse Road, but Studley allegedly took seven seconds to acknowledge police before stopping on Route 611 near the entrance to Neshaminy Manor.
Upon contacting Studley, he asked them about the turn signal when exiting the traffic signal, police said. Studley’s speech was thick and slurred, and his movements were slow and exaggerated, per the complaint. There was an odor of alcohol emanating from inside the car, police said.
Studley was reluctant to make eye contact, but his eyes were glassy and bloodshot, police allege. When asked how much he had to drink, Studley allegedly said he had not been drinking.
Then, he allegedly said he drank earlier in the day, saying, “Daytime, not recently.”
He was asked to exit the car and advised that he exhibited signs of impairment, police said. He refused field sobriety tests, but accepted a breathalyzer test, per the complaint.
At 3:43 a.m., Studley consented to a blood draw for BAC testing, and was taken to Doylestown Hospital, police said.
On Aug. 23, police received the toxicology report on Studley, which showed a BAC level of .157%, and that is blood contained Delta-9 THC and amphetamines, per the complaint.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
