A Dauphin County Commissioner, George Hartwick, has been stripped of his oversight responsibilities following a series of incidents on Wednesday (April 2). County officials have reassigned Hartwick's duties to other commissioners after he was involved in a crash with his county-owned SUV in the administration building's garage. The crash occurred just before a Board of Commissioners meeting, which Hartwick attended late.
Hartwick claimed his tardiness was due to attending a Child Abuse Prevention Month event, but the event's organizers stated he did not attend. According to PennLive, Hartwick appeared to slur his words and stumble over his speech during the meeting. Some witnesses reported he seemed intoxicated, although it remains unclear if drug and alcohol tests were conducted.
The decision to remove Hartwick's oversight was made by Board Chairman Justin Douglas, as reported by CBS21. The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office is now investigating the crash. Hartwick has retained attorney Justin McShane but has not responded to requests for comment.
This incident marks at least the fourth time Hartwick has crashed a county-owned vehicle since 2014. The situation has raised questions about his conduct and the county's response to such incidents.