Former Trooper Richard Keener Now Accused of Drunk Driving

A former state police trooper from Bellefonte who was on probation for assaulting a woman in Clinton County is now accused of crashing his car into a utility pole while driving drunk, seriously injuring his wife.

Spring Township police say 40-year-old Richard Scott Keener was standing outside his vehicle on the 1200 block of Airport Road covered in blood around 9 p.m. Sept. 6 when police arrived at the scene.

Keener denied being the driver of the car, refused medical treatment, and told officers that his wife — who was laying across the front seat, unconscious, bloody and had a noticeably broken arm — was “just sleeping,” police said.

His wife, Brenda Keener, wasn’t sleeping. Police say her brain was bruised and bleeding, she had a broken arm, cuts on her face and shoulder, and her pelvis, vertebrae and two ribs were fractured.

Keener smelled like alcohol and told police he had two beers, police said. Two beer cans were found at the scene and Keener, who refused any field sobriety tests, was arrested and later found to have a blood alcohol level of .234 percent.

Two witnesses to the crash told police Keener was in the driver’s seat when they stopped to check on the car’s occupants.

Keener, who lives at 102 Marble Lane, was a trooper in the Lamar barracks when he was accused last year of raping a woman in her apartment. He pleaded guilty to lesser offenses of simple assault, indecent assault of unlawful restraint in exchange for no jail time, but nearly nine years of probation.

He is now in jail for violating his probation.

“Obviously this was a very serious accident in which he almost lost the life of his wife and even his actions after the accident indicate no real concern for her,” said District Attorney Michael Madeira. “So, we’re going to push hard on this one.”

Keener waived his preliminary hearing Wednesday and will face trial on aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI and other related charges.

His wife is still hospitalized at a HealthSouth rehab center.

Former Trooper Pleads Guilty, Avoids Trial

A former state trooper accused of rape will not have a trial or go to jail in Clinton County.

Court officials said Richard Keener pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges just a day before he was trial was supposed to start.

Instead of sexual assault, Keener pleaded guilty to unlawful restraint and indecent assault.

A judge sentenced the former trooper to ten years probation and a $1,000 fine.

Police said keener raped a woman he met in a bar in Lock Haven.

Keener served as a state trooper in central Pennsylvania for 12 years.