Palmer Police Officer Charged with DUI Leaves Force

A veteran Palmer Township police officer charged with DUI in late November is no longer with the force, township officials said Tuesday.

Susan E. Siegfried, 49, of the 300 block of S. Nulton Avenue in the township, had been placed on administrative leave following a night of drinking in which she had blood-alcohol content four times the legal limit, court records indicated at the time of the incident.

Township officials Tuesday would not confirm a report that Siegfried had been fired.

"Since it is a personnel matter I cannot speak to that," Palmer Police Chief Larry Palmer said. "She is no longer with the force."

Chief Palmer passed on inquiries to Township Manager Christopher Christman.

"I can only confirm that she is no longer employed with Palmer Township," Christman said. "As this is a personnel matter, I cannot comment any further on this topic."

Siegfried was placed in the state's ARD program by Northampton County Judge Emil Giordano on Feb. 25. The Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program is for those facing first-offense charges. 

Siegfried had admitted to a night of beer drinking, but said she couldn't recall what happened when the Jeep Wrangler she was driving slammed into a tree not far from her home, shearing off the tree completely and uprooting it, court records indicated.

At the time, her blood-alcohol content was 0.32 percent – four times the legal limit, court records stated.

Siegfried had been charged with two counts of DUI – one for property damage and one for the 0.32 percent blood-alcohol content. Both DUIs were first-time offenses. She was also charged with careless driving, Palmer police said in a statement in late November.