Lower Burrell man facing 10th DUI charge after being stopped twice in New Kensington

A Lower Burrell man is facing his 10th DUI charge, getting numbers nine and 10 within two months of each other in New Kensington.

New Kensington police charged Bruno F. Nobilese, 57, with felony driving under the influence on May 15 and July 11. In the second case, he also is charged with a felony for driving under the influence of marijuana.

According to court records, Nobilese most recently was convicted of DUI in March 2022. He also was convicted in November and February 2014, April 2013, July 2009, July 2005, April 2000 and January 1989.

New Kensington patrol Officer John Hamm pulled over Nobilese on May 12 and June 26, according to court records. His license to drive is suspended because of the prior DUI convictions.

In a criminal complaint, Hamm said he stopped Nobilese around 7:45 p.m. May 12 because the third brake light on his pickup was not working properly. The officer said he smelled alcohol on Nobilese’s breath and that Nobilese admitted to having had two beers.

After being arrested for suspicion of DUI, police said, Nobilese refused chemical testing. He later was released.

His blood alcohol content was not specified in the criminal complaint.

Hamm saw Nobilese driving the same pickup on June 26, the second complaint states. Hamm said the vehicle had been entered into the automated license plate reader system because he knew Nobilese drives it, had an arrest warrant for driving under the influence and his license is suspended.

Hamm stopped and arrested Nobilese. Hamm said he found a cold and open container of beer behind the center console and two more cans of beer with ice in a cooler, according to the complaint.

Nobilese claimed the beer was two days old despite being cold and having condensation on it, Hamm noted.

Hamm described Nobilese’s eyes as bloodshot and glossy and that the odor of alcohol was coming from his breath.

Nobilese consented to a blood test and was taken to Allegheny Valley Hospital, police said.

While his blood alcohol content again was not provided, levels of THC, the psychoactive chemical compound in marijuana, were found in his blood, according to the complaint.

Pennsylvania does not have any permissible level of THC for driving, according to a state police spokesperson.

Nobilese is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bond. Charges in the latest case were filed Thursday. New Kensington District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. denied bond, saying Nobilese is a “danger to (the) community.”

Nobilese’s attorney, Jaclyn Shaw, declined to comment on the cases Friday.

Nobilese is scheduled for preliminary hearings before Pallone on Aug. 15.