Upper Burrell woman accused of stealing car, driving it while high on crack

An Upper Burrell woman was arrested on felony charges after police accused her of stealing a car and driving it while under the influence of crack cocaine.

Barbara Jane Miller, 30, of Keibler Beach Drive, is being detained in the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh after failing to post a $5,000 cash bond, according to court records.

Miller was charged by Frazer police with felony counts of receiving stolen property and escape as well as lesser charges of giving police a false name, driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license.

A Frazer police officer was on patrol at around 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 25 when a 911 dispatch went out for a silver Nissan Altima that was stolen in New Kensington and heading toward East Deer, according to a criminal complaint.

The officer spotted the car and pulled it over in the 200 block of Freeport Road.

Police say Miller initially gave them a fake name and told them she and the male passenger were in New Kensington “for drugs” because they were addicts. She said they smoked crack cocaine about 30 to 45 minutes prior to being stopped.

After an officer told her that driving under the influence also included drugs, Miller changed her story and told them that the man in the car was the only one who took the drug, the complaint said.

A used crack pipe was confiscated from the man when he was searched, police said.

While being questioned at the Frazer police station Miller admitted that she had given officers a false name, the complaint said.

A search of her background using the correct name found that her driver’s license was suspended for driving under the influence. She was then transported to the AHN Harmar hospital to have blood drawn so it could be tested for the presence of alcohol or narcotics, police said.