United States (Pennsylvania) - A volunteer firefighter charged with driving a firetruck drunk after stealing gasoline from Upper Macungie Township's municipal gas supply has been ordered to spend at least three months in jail. Michael Mantle Gorr, 46, was sentenced to three to 23 months in Lehigh County Prison Thursday by Lehigh County President Judge William H. Platt. He was also ordered to serve two years of probation following his jail term and was fined $458.

Gorr, who also faced charges of burglarizing an Allentown home a month after the DUI and theft, said he's trying to break a serious alcohol problem.

"I'm sorry to everybody," he said.

Gorr, a township resident, had been under suspicion of stealing fuel for weeks when a Berks-Lehigh Regional police officer saw him drive a firetruck to the municipal pumps just before 8 a.m. July 4, court records say.

The officer saw the diesel fuel line running to the firetruck, and the gasoline line running into one of the truck's side compartments, according to court records. The officer then followed Gorr to the Fogelsville Fire Company, where he saw him load two gas cans into his personal vehicle.

Police questioned Gorr and the firefighter admitted taking gas from the township pumps because he was "having financial difficulties," according to court documents.

The officer smelled alcohol on Gorr's breath and noticed the firefighter had bloodshot eyes. Gorr's blood-alcohol content was 0.07 percent, above the .04 percent legal limit for driving a large commercial vehicle, such as a firetruck.

Gorr, who was suspended from the Fogelsville Fire Company, took gasoline for his personal use 11 times beginning in April, totaling 122 gallons, a value of $305, according to court records. Platt ordered him to pay $257 in restitution to the township.

Gorr pleaded guilty in November to felony criminal trespass. He also pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors: driving a commercial vehicle under the influence and two counts of theft.

The month after his arrest on the DUI and theft charges, Gorr was charged with a Feb. 15 break-in of a south Allentown row home in which he took a container holding $50. Platt ordered Gorr to pay the resident of that home, Susan Trainer, $205 in restitution.

Written by The Morning Call