A Coaldale man was charged by borough police with three counts of driving under the influence (DUI) and failing to follow the law on vehicle lighting.

Gregory J. Covell, 41, of 171 First St., was stopped by Officer Charles Andrew Blesse at about 1:55 a.m. Nov. 7, 2010.According to an affidavit of probable cause filed with District Judge Stephen Bayer of Tamaqua, here's what happened:Blesse saw a white Dodge van traveling east on SR209 (Water Street), with a rear light that was not working properly. Blesse stopped the van at east Water Street and Second Street. As he spoke with the driver, identified as Covell, he noticed an odor of alcohol on Covell's breath. Blesse also saw that Covell had red, glossy, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.Covell agreed to take field sobriety tests, which he failed.When asked again if he had been drinking, Covell admitted that he had had one or two drinks because he was on medication for a prior surgery.Blesse arrested Covell for suspicion of DUI. he was taken to St. Luke's Miners Memorial Hospital, Coaldale, for a blood test. The test revealed that Covell's blood alcohol level was 0.17 percent. He also tested positive for marijuana.