Cops: 'Joyride' in North Huntingdon causes $20K in damages, closes small airport

A North Huntingdon man arrested for DUI told police he was out “joyriding because he enjoys racing in the mud,” but the sloppy trip could leave him liable for nearly $20,000 in landscaping damages, according to court documents.

Jonathan M. Galka, 39, was charged Tuesday with DUI, reckless driving and four counts of criminal mischief by township police. He is accused of causing the damage in the western end of the township in the county’s industrial park along Parker Avenue and at Inter County Airport, at the border of Westmoreland and Allegheny counties.

Officer Shane Rebel reported in court documentsthat police were dispatched March 24 to investigate reports of a driver becoming stuck in the mud in the yard of Bortek Industries Inc..

Rebel reported when officers arrived, Galka had stepped outside his 2010 Subaru SUV and was collecting rocks to place under his tires in an attempt to free his vehicle.

“(Galka) was difficult to understand because he was slurring his words as he spoke… and he had a strong odor of alcoholic beverages on his breath,” Rebel wrote in court documents.

“(Galka) began to brag about how “he really tore this place up and began to explain that he was just out joyriding because he enjoys racing in the mud.”

Robert Eyler, who owns the property where the public airport sits, said Wednesday it “was anything but a joyride to me.”

“We had to close the airport for 30 days because of the damages he caused here. He was doing doughnuts all over the 2,500-foot grass runway,” he said.

Eyler , who works as manager of the airport, said he obtained a repair estimate of $17,405 from an area landscaping firm. A tractor was needed “to tamp down” the damaged runway sod, but he said it recently reopened to air traffic.

“But it still needs a lot more work,” he said.

He said the airport gets about “two or three flights from single engine aircraft a week,” and three small aircraft are based at the field. Medical and military helicopters sometimes practice manuevers there.

“We have cameras installed around and so we have (Galka) on video doing doughnuts all over the runway … and when he saw I was watching he started screaming, leaning out his car window, and raised his middle finger toward me,” Eyler said.

“Police told me I’ll probably have to go to court to testify, but I hadn’t heard from them in awhile,” he said.

Rebel reported damage to Bortek Industries was estimated at $980 by a landscaping firm and another yard at Mesta Electronics had $604 in damage.

A tow truck was eventually called to pull Galka’s SUV from the mud and he was takenfor a forensic blood analysis. Police are still awaiting results, but Rebel reported a breath test taken at the scene indicated Galka had a reading of .18 percent, or more than twice the legal limit.

Attempts to reach Galka by telephone were unsuccessful. Court documents indicated he had not hired an attorney.