Article Tools

A chemistry teacher from the Carbondale Area School District faces charges after police said he drove an all-terrain vehicle erratically on Old Forge streets, threatened another motorist with a firearm and refused to speak to officers investigating the initial allegations.

Police charged Ross Gerald Merieski, 35, 1247 Mowery St., Old Forge, with misdemeanor counts of fleeing from a police officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct as well as a long list of driving offenses.

Old Forge Police responded about 8 p.m. Sunday to a Main Street car wash, after someone called 911 to report a man on an ATV had shown a handgun to another motorist there after a confrontation over his driving.

When the officer located a man driving an ATV who fit the witnesss description and pulled his squad car alongside the vehicle, Merieski responded to the officers request to talk by saying Im not getting fined and this is Old Forge, not Scranton before speeding off, according to the police report.

The officer followed Merieski in his squad car until the suspect retreated to the ATV trail off of Pittston Avenue, threatening to drive away if the officer came closer. The officer tried to approach on foot and question the man, but retreated when he saw the suspect was armed.

Im from Old Forge, the man repeatedly yelled, according to the police report.

The officer then went to interview two witnesses outside a bar, who identified the man as Merieski, a former teacher of theirs at Old Forge High School. While there, the suspect drove his ATV past and gestured with his arm, though the officer could not determine what the gesture was, he wrote in the report.

Once backup arrived, the three officers chased the man briefly, who accelerated to speeds exceeding 50 mph while ignoring several stop signs.

The trio of officers broke off and went to his home to wait for him. He eventually approached on foot and they arrested him.

At the Old Forge Police Headquarters, the officers detected a strong smell of alcohol on him, according to their report.

When they asked him to write a statement, he became aggressive, telling officers he was a chemistry teacher and had work in the morning.

Charge me already and send me home, he said, according to the police report.

He was released on $15,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday.

Asked if Merieski had been disciplined, the Carbondale Area School District said it had put a professional employee on administrative leave this week, but would not comment further because its a personnel matter, business manager David Cerra said.

Contact the writer:

pcameron@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9100 x5365,

@pcameronTT on Twitter

Read more:
Chemistry teacher charged with fleeing from police, other counts - Scranton Times-Tribune