Hempfield man sentenced to house arrest, probation for DUI where party-goers were hurt

A Hempfield man was sentenced to six months house arrest and five years probation on drunken-driving charges stemming from a 2020 incident in which he ran over three people in Derry Township.

Dominic G. Bellone, 22, was acquitted during a February nonjury trial of several felony offenses related to the injuries sustained by three people Jan. 4, 2020, when police said Bellone backed over three party-goers at a friend’s birthday bash. The judge who rendered the acquittal on aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence and related offenses said the truck was being driven on a private driveway when the injuries happened, not a public road.

Bellone, who did not contest he was behind the wheel at the time of the incident, was found guilty of misdemeanor drunken-driving offenses along with one count each of simple assault and reckless endangerment in addition to a handful of summary traffic offenses.

Witnesses said Bellone punched a woman in the face and placed another man in danger when he drove out of the driveway. The three injured people who testified during the trial said they had leg, head and arm injuries from being hit by the pickup.

He was found a short distance away parked along Derry Latrobe Road. His blood-alcohol content was .227%, according to witness testimony. The legal limit to drive in Pennsylvania is .08%. His drivers license was suspended at the time related to a previous drunken-driving conviction.

Bellone’s license was also suspended for 18 months. He was ordered to pay a $1,500 fine and $203 in restitution for fence damage, according to a sentencing order. He was ordered to complete anger management classes.