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McKeesport's solicitor will "have to face the music" at a preliminary hearing over a drunken driving charge, City Council President Darryl Segina said Wednesday night.

Until then, Segina said, residents and city employees should stop speculating and spreading rumors about J. Jason Elash, 40, who was charged Feb. 10 with driving under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances, driving an uninsured vehicle and speeding in connection with an accident on Route 48.

The charges were filed by McKeesport police. A hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. March 26 before Magisterial District Judge Eugene Riazzi.

For now, Elash remains city solicitor, but council last night decided by 5-2 vote to postpone awarding a contract that would have paid him a $1,500 monthly retainer plus $75 per hour for doing legal work as head of the city's law department. Councilors V. Fawn Walker-Montgomery and A.J. Tedesco Jr. voted against tabling the agreement.

"We're not here to defend Mr. Elash, but we're not here to vilify him either," Segina said. "We have done our due diligence and council has gone back and forth on this."

City council met in executive session to discuss Elash's future, Segina said, adding that council and Mayor Mike Cherepko have continued to talk about the crash that happened early Jan. 22.

According to city police, Elash was driving on Route 48 near Olympia Shopping Center when his 2004 Cadillac SUV went out of control, left the highway and collided with a building at 716 Long Run Road. He was taken by ambulance to UPMC Mercy Hospital, Pittsburgh.

Elash declined comment last night.

"There has been a lot of discussion about this within council chambers and between myself and the city administration," Segina said. "For two weeks, my phone was just about glued to my ear."

Continued speculation isn't accomplishing anything, Segina said. "The only person it's hurting is Mr. Elash," he said.

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