Trooper: Man drove high with kids in vehicle, child endangerment charges filed

State police arrested a Pittsburgh man in North Buffalo Township after a trooper accused him of driving with three children in the car while being high on marijuana.

Leroy Lamar Grace Jr., 30, of Tybee Street in the city’s Sheraden neighborhood, faces two felony counts of endangering the welfare of children along with driving under the influence, speeding and having an expired registration and inspection, according to a criminal complaint.

Grace also was charged with a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of children.

He is being detained in the Armstrong County Jail after failing to post a $10,000 cash bond, according to court records. Grace faces a preliminary hearing before District Judge J. Gary DeComo on Tuesday, May 24.

According to Grace’s arrest papers, a state trooper was parked in the median along Route 28 in North Buffalo using a radar device to measure the speed of passing vehicles. He said Honda CR-V that Grace was driving was clocked at 87 mph in a 65 mph zone.

The trooper pulled the SUV over and said he could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and that Grace was unable to produce a state medical marijuana card when asked, the criminal complaint said.

When questioned, Grace told the trooper that he had smoked marijuana about 30 minutes prior to the traffic stop, according to the complaint.

Police said Grace was arrested after exhibiting “multiple indications of impairment” while performing field sobriety tests.

Grace agreed to have blood drawn to determine the level of alcohol or drugs in his system, the complaint said.

Authorities charged Grace with child endangerment because his 1-, 3- and 12-year-old daughters were in the backseat of the car.