ADAM TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A Moon Township woman is facing her third DUI charge after officers said they found an open bottle of vodka and three children, who she was babysitting, in her car.
Adams Township police said Natalie Marchelletta was babysitting the children, ages 3, 5, and 14, Monday afternoon when she ran through a red light at the intersection of Route 228 and Three Degree Road, hit a car and kept driving. Officers said when they pulled her over, they found the open bottle and the children.
“We found an open bottle of vodka – two-thirds gone - and a receipt that she bought it at noon that day,” Adams Township Assistant Police Chief Bob Scanlon said.
According to the criminal complaint, Marchelletta told officers that the damage on her car was from a previous accident and said she suffers from narcolepsy.
When asked if she had been drinking, Marchelletta responded, “No, I am in Alcoholics Anonymous treatment,” the complaint stated.
Channel 11 News looked into Marchelletta’s criminal history and learned Monday’s incident resulted in her third DUI charge.
According to Allegheny County Court documents, Marchelletta was arrested for DUI in Avalon in May 2014 and, again in March 2016 in Robinson Township.
Officers said when pulled over in the third case, she smelled of alcohol and failed the sobriety tests.
“It’s scary (and) could have been much worse,” Scanlon said. “Thankfully, it wasn’t.”