He sentenced people for years. Now he has been sentenced himself

A former Centre County president judge was sentenced to accelerated rehabilitative disposition for a late 2017 driving under the influence charge.

Former President Judge Thomas Kistler was charged with DUI in October stemming from an incident the previous month. Kistler had been accused of striking a traffic officer in the ankle after the Penn State-Indiana football game and had failed to stop.

A State College police officer reported signs of intoxication on Kistler, police said. Kistler performed unsatisfactorily on a field sobriety test, and a blood alcohol test would later show a BAC of .231.

Kistler stepped down as Centre Centre president judge in 2017. County President Judge Pamela Ruest was sworn in on Sept. 7.

Ruest stated after the charges were filed that she had “removed Judge Kistler from hearing any DUI or State College Police Department matters until his case is finally resolved.”

According to court documents filed Friday, Kistler was sentenced to 12 months ARD on the charges of DUI, obedience to an authorized person directing traffic and obedience to traffic control devices. He was also sentenced to pay the fees and costs of prosecution — about $2,378 — and will have his license suspended for a period of time.

During an ARD program, an individual typically must complete a period of supervision, a safety school, community service and pay costs and fees in exchange to have charges expunged from a criminal record.

This story was originally published January 31, 2018 at 4:24 PM with the headline "He sentenced people for years. Now he has been sentenced himself."