A man who was already an inmate has been charged after he crashed his vehicle into a tree and fled from the scene.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by police officer Vincent Morrow of the Lansford Borough Police Department:

At 11:26 p.m. Dec. 1, Morrow was dispatched by the Carbon County Communications Center to the area of the 500 block of West Bertsch Street near the car wash for a single-vehicle crash with unknown injuries.

Upon arrival, Morrow observed a black Chevy Impala crashed and parked on the south side of West Bertsch Street, facing west. There were no people in or near the vehicle at this time.

The vehicle had heavy damage to the front end passenger side and was inoperable. There was a large debris field around the vehicle from parts of the vehicle that had flown off. The front passenger window was shattered out; and there was blood on the air bag, as well as blood-soaked clothing in the back seat.

There were fresh tire marks in the snow that showed that the vehicle was traveling east from the Coaldale area, veered off the roadway to the north side of the street, and struck a large tree causing the vehicle to spin about 180 degrees, and sliding back across the roadway to the south side of the street, where it rested.

As Morrow was making his observations to the vehicle, there was a bystander who said that she had seen a male, who was later identified as John Casella, 29, Schuylkill Haven, in the back seat of the vehicle, covered in blood, kicking at the window, screaming to her not to call the police, and then had fled the scene.

There was another bystander down the road near the pool exit who was signaling Morrow, who drove down, at which time the bystander said that Casella, who was covered in blood, had run up the hill toward the pool.

Morrow observed fresh foot tracks in the snow going up the hill toward the pool, at which time he requested Coaldale Police Department to assist.

Officers were able to locate Casella on the other side of the woods, about a half mile away, near Ridge Terrace on East Ridge Street, Coaldale.

Casella’s face, hands and clothing were covered in blood, and he had multiple lacerations on his face and was bleeding from his right ear.

Casella was noncooperative with officers, and screaming obscenities toward them.

Coaldale police officer Matthew Jungbear related that Casella did admit to drinking alcohol and crashing his vehicle.

Officers attempted to place handcuffs on Casella, but he flailed his arms, tensed up, and attempted to pull away from officers, who were able to restrain his arms and secure handcuffs.

As officers were handcuffing Casella, EMS arrived, and he was noncooperative with them as they were trying to talk with him. Officers followed the ambulance to the hospital.

Once officers and EMS arrived at the hospital, Casella was brought into the trauma room, where hospital staff attempted to gather information, but Casella continued to be noncooperative, and became verbally combative with officers, EMS personnel, and hospital staff, threatening to fight them.

Casella also said that this was it, and he is going back to state prison.

Casella faces charges of DUI - incapable of safe driving; resist arrest or other law enforcement; disorderly conduct; and fail to report accident to police.

He is currently incarcerated in The State Correctional Institution at Frackville, and is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing June 17 before District Judge Casimir T. Kosciolek of Lansford.