At times, policemen have to be rescuers, negotiators and peace keepers.

Add zoologists to that list, at least in the case of the Greenville-West Salem Township force.

As they weighed charges against Mark Allen Chess, who drove a pickup truck into a wall of the Greenville Moose Club, police carefully considered his claim that he had hit a deer.

"Chess will not be charged with false reports because, technically, moose are a member of the deer family," police said in a news release.

At 12:40 a.m. Friday, Chess, 24, of 3378 Perry Highway, drove past Mercer County sheriff's deputies, who were parked at a convenience store on Main Street.

Steam was coming from the radiator of the pickup, which didn't have headlights on, and there was damage to the front of his truck, police said.

When arrested, Chess told deputies he'd struck a deer, causing the damage to his truck.

Greenville police said he'd actually hit the Moose Club at 175 Main St.

Tom Emmett, club bartender, said he heard a "very loud bang" and went to look outside.

By the time he stepped outside, police already were there and had identified Chess' pickup, which a witness saw hit the building and drive off.

Emmett said he had heard later that the driver had said he hit a deer, a claim he found suspect considering the puddle of fluid left outside the club and the "pretty good-sized hole in the wall."

The club sustained no internal damage, Emmett said.

After seeing Chess' damaged pickup, deputies radioed a Greenville-West Salem bike patrol officer, who asked them to stop the truck.

Deputies chased the truck to Leech Road, Hempfield Township, where Chess stopped.

Chess was charged with drunken driving, hit and run and possession of drug paraphernalia for having a marijuana pipe in his pocket.

A passenger in the truck, Michael Sturgin, 24, of 15 Plant Road, Clarks Mills, was arrested after he became disorderly during the traffic stop, police said. He was arrested for public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and possession of a small amount of marijuana, police said.

Chess and Sturgin, who owned the truck, also were cited with traffic offenses.