State police cite Pa. woman for 'going for a drive' amid stay-at-home order
A York County woman this week was the first person in Pennsylvania to be cited for violating Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order, according to state police.
The 19-year-old woman was given a nontraffic citation for allegedly “going for a drive,” according to the citation obtained by Pennlive.
State police spokesman Ryan Tarkowski said Friday the woman initially was pulled over because of a vehicle code violation. Warnings have been issued by troopers in Troop A, which includes Westmoreland County, and Troop E in the Erie area, he said.
Troopers can use their discretion during situations to decide if a citation is warranted, but they have been encouraged to use contacts with the public as a way to promote voluntary compliance, Tarkowski said.
“At this time, law enforcement is focused on ensuring that residents are aware of the order and informing the public of social distance practices,” he said. “While the order is mandatory, voluntary compliance is preferred.”
Wolf issued stay-at-home orders to Allegheny and six other counties on March 23. Westmoreland residents were ordered to stay home four days later. The stay-at-home order was expanded to the entire state on Wednesday and is in effect until April 30.
On March 23, Wolf said authorities will be “focused on ensuring that residents are aware of the order and informing the public of social distancing practices rather than enforcement.”
RUMOR CONTROL:
☑️ We are not conducting #COVID19 checkpoints.
☑️ We do encourage all Pennsylvanians to stay at home, except for essentials like ?, ?, ?.
☑️ We will continue to be a source of reassurance and safety in the midst of crisis situations. pic.twitter.com/JZ4TJDEHyQ
— Troopers Steve Limani & Cliff Greenfield (@PSPTroopAPIO) April 1, 2020
The York County woman told Pennlive that she plans to fight the citation. No other action was filed against her in connection with the vehicle code violation, according to online court records.
The statute under which she was cited is one that was mentioned in guidance to police agencies in relation to businesses that weren’t complying with orders to close.
That statute applies to “any person who violates any of the provisions” of the governor’s orders under the Pennsylvania Disease Control and Prevention Law of 1955.
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
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