A Nesquehoning man has been charged with DUI after he nearly struck a police officer.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by patrolman Matthew Bender of the Lehighton Borough Police Department in the case against Tyler Silbaugh:

On July 26, Bender was on a traffic stop in the 300 block of North First Street when a blue Toyota came speeding around the corner off the bypass and lost control of the vehicle, sliding around the turn, over the curb, and into the lawn median.

Officer Trevin Green started to flag the driver to pull into the parking space with his flashlight on strobe in the middle of the roadway.

The driver pulled out and onto First Street, then accelerated toward Green, who had to jump out of the way to avoid getting hit by the vehicle.

The car, driven by Silbaugh, turned onto Coal Street and accelerated up the hill Both Green and Bender attempted to find the vehicle.

Bender then went back to the original traffic stop to wait for a tow truck when he observed a vehicle similar to the one that went past coming off Coal Street onto North First Street.

Bender followed the vehicle.

The vehicle turned right onto North Street as Bender went back to the original traffic stop.

As Bender approached the intersection and started to go onto North First Street, the blue Toyota passed right in front of the police vehicle going the wrong way on a one-way street in the 300 block of North First Street, almost striking the police vehicle.

Bender followed, activating his emergency sirens, and the vehicle pulled over on the street near the end of the 400 block of North First Street.

Bender smelled a strong odor of alcoholic beverage from the driver, who was placed in custody and taken to the patrol unit.

Silbaugh admitted to drinking and heard over the police vehicle radio that other police units were looking for him due to a call from his girlfriend to do a welfare check on him because he was out driving intoxicated.

Bender requested the driver take a test, which he agreed to, and had a reading of 0.1074.

Silbaugh, 27, was transported to St. Luke’s Lehighton Campus for a blood draw, which he agreed to give.

Silbaugh faces charges of aggravated assault, flight to avoid apprehension, recklessly endangering another person, driving under the influence, careless driving, reckless driving, driving wrong way, and driving without a license.

He is currently incarcerated in the Carbon County Correctional Facility in lieu of $3,000 monetary bail, and scheduled to have a preliminary hearing before District Judge Eric M. Schrantz of Jim Thorpe.