Man Flees Traffic Stop in Upper Nazareth, Crashes in Swampy Woods

A Lehigh Township man is in trouble with the law after allegedly driving drunk on an road at 66 mph, then trying to elude the cops who ultimately caught him early Sunday.

Richard W. Yeakel, 33, of 548 Walnut Drive was finally apprehended by police in the swampy woods of , where he was running west toward Bath after losing control of his car, according to court records.

According to the arrest affidavit, it unfolded like this:

• At about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, an Upper Nazareth Township police officer on traffic duty spotted Yeakel’s blue Volkswagen moving west at 66 mph along East Lawn Road.

• After pursuit with police lights and sirens, Yeakel stopped his car in the parking lot of . During the stop, the officer noted an odor of alcohol and that Yeakel’s speech was slurred and his eyes were glassy.

• Yeakel did not have his driver’s license with him, but he gave the officer his name, which he spelled wrong.

• During the stop, after a second officer arrived on the scene, and before a field sobriety test could be issued, Yeakel drove off. The officers pursued Yeakel as he headed onto Levis Road and into Bushkill Township.

• Yeakel lost control of the car at Levis and Knauss roads, driving it into the woods. He got out of the car and started running through the woods toward Bath. The officers ordered Yeakel to stop, but he kept running.

• Eventually, they caught him and took him into custody. Bushkill Township Ambulance came to the scene and brought Yeakel to , where blood was drawn. Police await the result of that test.

Yeakel was arraigned on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, resisting arrest, recklessly endangering another person, driving under the influence of alcohol and driving above the speed limit before night duty District Judge Nancy Matos Gonzalez of Bethlehem.

Yeakel was committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail.