A Centre County judge charged with driving under the influence waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
Judge Thomas Kistler’s preliminary hearing was scheduled for Nov. 22, but an early waiver was granted on Oct. 25, according to court records. The case will move to the Centre County Court of Common Pleas.
Charges stemming from an incident on Sept. 30. were filed on Oct. 19. Police said Kistler was driving on East Park Avenue when he struck a security officer directing traffic outside of Beaver Stadium following the Penn State-Indiana game. The security officer was not injured.
Kistler was then stopped when he allegedly attempted to drive around traffic barricades on Orchard Road. According to a criminal complaint filed by State College Police, blood test reports showed that Kistler’s blood alcohol level was .231. He was charged with DUI and DUI with highest rate of blood alcohol content (above .16). He also received two summary traffic violations.
Kistler announced in January his intention to retire at the end of the year. He had been president judge of the Centre County Court of Common Pleas since 2007, but stepped down from that role in early September and Judge Pamela Ruest was sworn in as president judge on Sept. 7.
Following the charges, Ruest said that an out-of-county judge would be appointed to hear Kistler’s case and that Kistler has been removed from hearing any cases involving DUI or State College Police until his own was resolved.
