`west Side Story' Still A Winner 
Musical Classic Hits All The Right Notes At The Scranton Cultural Center

3 Borough Employees To Get Safety Equipment

By CHRIS SCHNEIDMILLER; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Saturday, February 07, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 2A 





PITTSTON- A Duryea man told police he drank as many as 12 cans of beer and
one shot of whiskey in the hours before he ran down a Moosic woman on New
Year's Day, according to testimony Friday at his preliminary hearing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Authorities say David Ambrosavage, 40, had a blood-alcohol content more
than twice the level at which an adult driver is presumed intoxicated when his
minivan hit Mary Ann Maconeghy at about 4 a.m. near his Foote Avenue home. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Maconeghy died Jan. 2 at Community Medical Center. An autopsy listed the
cause of death as blunt traumatic impact. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ambrosavage has been charged with homicide by vehicle while driving under
the influence, drunken driving and careless driving. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 District Justice Fred Pierantoni of Pittston sent the charges to Luzerne
County Court of Common Pleas based on testimony from county Det. Gary Capitano
and Duryea Patrolman David Moran. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Capitano said he interviewed Ambrosavage about two hours after the crash. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "My immediate observation of his physical demeanor included the strong odor
of alcoholic beverage, the fact that his speech was slurred," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Blood tests taken at 5:10 a.m. and 5:45 a.m. showed Ambrosavage's blood
alcohol content at 0.207 and 0.205, Capitano said. An adult driver is
considered legally drunk with a level of 0.10. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Although Capitano testified that Ambrosavage denied drinking any alcohol
after the crash, defense attorney Nanda Palissery suggested that Ambrosavage
might have done so- thus skewing the test results. Under questioning, Capitano
admitted there was no other evidence addressing that issue other than what
Ambrosavage told him. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The defendant said he began drinking shortly after leaving work at about
noon on Dec. 31, Capitano said. While driving home Jan. 1 he heard a thump but
thought it was caused by youths playing a New Year's Day prank. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Upon arriving home he found the front of the van and windshield damaged.
There was hair on the windshield, Capitano said. Ambrosavage and his son,
Jeremy, found the body and his son called for an ambulance. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Palissery implied in his questioning of witnesses that Maconeghy might be
to blame for the crash. She was also legally intoxicated and was walking or
standing on the road wearing dark clothes, according to Capitano. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 With the accident reconstruction unfinished, there is no evidence

Driver Faces Homicide Trial In Fatality David Ambrosavage Of Duryea Was Drunk When He Ran Down Mary Ann Maconeghy On Jan. 1, Authorities Say