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Crime & Safety

Bucks County DUI Driver Killed Father of 11

Brett Truskin, 22, of Ivyland, is accused of driving drunk and killing a hardworking father of 11.

The 22-year-old Ivyland resident who in the Kensington section of Philadelphia had only been released from police custody hours earlier after another DUI-related crash.

Brett Truskin, of the 2200 Block of Brewster Drive, was involved in a vehicle accident in the city on Thursday. He was arraigned on charges of DUI and criminal mischief before being released early Friday morning. In Thursday's accident, Truskin was believed by state police to be drunk, NBCPhiladelphia.com reported.

Truskin, a former Northampton resident, allegedly was driving while under the influence of drugs just hours later when he struck the bicyclist, identified by media reports as 49-year-old father of 11 Gregory Loper in Kensington shortly before 6 p.m. Friday night, a Philadelphia police official told Patch on Monday.

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"[Truskin] left me to raise 11 kids, by myself, because he wanted to get high." Tanya Cuffee, the widow of Gregory Loper told Action News yesterday. She said her husband was on his way home from work when he was struck.

After striking Loper, the suspect continued driving his Toyota RAV 4 down East Lehigh Avenue, strucking several parked cars and a vehicle driven by a 52-year-old man who was taken to Temple University Hospital.

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Truskin tried to flee the scene on foot after the accident but was detained by a bystander, NBCPhiladelphia reported Saturday.

The 22-year-old was charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI, involuntary manslaughter and related charges in connection with Friday's fatal accident. He is being held in a Philadelphia jail cell on 10-percent of $475,000 bail, according to court records.

In 2007, Truskin pleaded guilty to burglary and several other charges after being arrested by Northampton police.

Three years later, he was arrested again by Northampton police on charges of retail theft, possession of a small amount of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia, court records show.

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