Green Tree officer placed on leave

A Green Tree police officer was charged with DUI early Friday in Overbrook while off duty and placed on paid administrative leave.

Eric Diehl, 49, of McDonald was charged by Pittsburgh police with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence.

Officer Diehl crashed his SUV into a car driven by a man identified as Regis D. Flannery, who had lower back pain, about 1:12 a.m. at Maytide Street and Saw Mill Run Boulevard, according to police.

He also struck a parked vehicle in the lot of a business called Used Car World, police said.

Officer Diehl was with his girlfriend, Amanda Anderson, who appeared uninjured, police said. He told a Pittsburgh police officer that he was driving inbound on Saw Mill Run when “all of a sudden, he just saw headlights and couldn’t react fast enough ...” a criminal complaint said.

Police said Officer Diehl smelled of alcohol and said he had been at his cabin in West Virginia and had consumed three beers three hours earlier, the complaint said.

After field sobriety testing, Officer Diehl was found to be intoxicated, according to police. At 2:45 a.m., a breath test indicated a blood alcohol content of 0.083, slightly above the legal limit for driving of 0.08, the complaint said. A second test registered 0.76, according to the complaint.

Mr. Flannery told police that he was sitting at a light on Maytide waiting to turn onto Saw Mill Run Boulevard when his light turned green and he went. He told police that Officer Diehl’s SUV went through a red light and hit his car, the complaint said.

Officer Diehl was released to Ms. Anderson and will be charged by summons.

Green Tree police Chief Colin Cleary said upon learning of the incident he put Officer Diehl on leave pending the results of criminal and internal investigations. He said he spoke with the officer, who has been with the department for at least 20 years, but declined to reveal what the officer said.

Officer Diehl could not be reached for comment.