Former top homicide prosecutor in the Allegheny County Dist. Atty., W. Christopher Conrad, 3 DUI's 5-7 AA meetings a week 2012

Pennsylvania - W. Christopher Conrad, who served as the top homicide prosecutor in the Allegheny County District Attorney's office was arrested three times for DUI and also for driving with a suspended license. While on probation, he is mandated to 5-7 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings a week and the an ignition interlock device installed in his car. He had a hit and run accident on June 19, 2012 but his probation was not revoked because he claims someone else was driving his car.

Judge refuses to revoke bail for lawyer after accident

June 28, 2012 3:41 pm

By Paula Reed Ward / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

An Allegheny County judge today refused to revoke bail for a former prosecutor facing DUI charges, saying the district attorney's office did not produce sufficient evidence that he had violated conditions of his probation.

W. Christopher Conrad, who served as the top homicide prosecutor in the Allegheny County District Attorney's office for several years but left the office in 1998, was charged by Mt. Lebanon police with leaving the scene of an accident June 19, when he allegedly backed into another vehicle.

Officer Bryan Crabb testified that a witness at the scene of the 10 a.m. crash recorded most of the driver's license plate number, and police were able to track it back to a Ford Explorer registered to Mr. Conrad.

Officers went to his home a short distance away immediately after the crash, but he wasn't there. Later that day, he went to the Mt. Lebanon police department. He denies driving the vehicle and instead said that he had lent it to one of his clients.

During the hearing this morning, defense attorney Patrick Thomassey argued that police had no evidence his client was driving.

Officer Crabb did not deny that, saying, "Nobody at the crash scene could identify him as the driver."

Mr. Conrad has three previous convictions for DUI, as well as others for driving on a suspended license and failing to have a required ignition interlock device installed in his car. He is on probation from two of those cases.

He also has two current DUI charges pending before Judge David R. Cashman, and an ignition interlock and suspended license case pending before Judge Philip Ignelzi.

Mr. Conrad spoke briefly in court, telling Judge Jeffrey Manning that he completed a 27-day in-patient alcohol program last summer, followed by eight weeks of intensive outpatient treatment, as well. He also attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings five to seven times each week.

He is one of the attorneys representing the three Pittsburgh officers named as defendants in the federal lawsuit brought by Jordan Miles, who claims they used excessive force against him when he was stopped in January 2010.
Paula Reed Ward: pward@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2620.
First Published June 28, 2012 1:23 pm

Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-south/judge-refu...