WILKES BARRE, Pa. -- The former Washington Township police officer who was suspended after he was accused of a drunken driving crash involving several cars in Pennsylvania reached an agreement last year with the township to change his status to unpaid medical leave before he received a disability retirement, township records show.

Authorities say Washington Township police officer William McCarthy III was involved in a DWI crash in Hazleton, Pa. on June 16, 2016. Pictured, McCarthy's Nissan Armada SUV.

William McCarthy III, 46, of Great Meadows, was suspended without pay from the township police department after the events of June 16, 2016.

He allegedly crashed into several vehicles in Hazleton and Tamaqua, Pa. while intoxicated before he was arrested at a police roadblock.

Under the terms of a settlement agreement with the township, McCarthy's status of unpaid suspension due to pending criminal charges was changed to approved unpaid medical leave for the five months between when he was charged criminally last year and his effective retirement date of Nov. 30, 2016.

The township council adopted a resolution on Dec. 16, 2016 approving this settlement agreement and McCarthy's disability retirement due to a "potentially-disabling medical condition that existed as of June 16, 2016."

A copy of the settlement agreement obtained by NJ Advance Media stated McCarthy entered into another agreement with the township in December 2015 over his DWI in Blairstown earlier that year. Under the terms of that agreement, McCarthy agreed he would be immediately terminated for any other alcohol-related incident on or off-duty.

The agreement also stated the township wasn't aware of McCarthy's medical condition before receiving documentation on Dec. 16, 2016.

Despite the settlement in December, a police spokesman said in February that McCarthy was still suspended without pay from the department.

In conjunction with the agreement, McCarthy filed an application with the New Jersey Police and Firemen's Retirement System with a retirement date of Dec. 1, 2016, and was required to disclose the agreement to PFRS. He also agreed not to seek reemployment with the Washington Township Police Department.

In a statement, the township said it's not aware of the status of McCarthy's retirement application.

A second resolution, approved by the council on May 15, resolved all pending administrative charges and disciplinary action filed by the township against McCarthy.

McCarthy was scheduled to go on trial Monday before Judge Michael Vough in Luzerne County Court in Wilkes Barre, Pa. on the DUI, resisting arrest, reckless driving and hit-and-run charges, but he failed to show up for court.

Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Thomas Ratchford said a bench warrant was issued for McCarthy's arrest, and a new trial would be assigned once he was apprehended.

Authorities haven't provided any additional information on the events leading up to the crash, but they have said McCarthy was allegedly involved in a domestic violence incident in New Jersey prior to the Pennsylvania incidents.

The crashes in Hazleton and Tamaqua occurred nearly a year after McCarthy was arrested on a DWI charge in Blairstown.

During that incident on June 20, 2015, he was found parked on the shoulder of Route 94 in a daze and with an open bottle of tequila between his legs, according to arrest reports obtained by NJ Advance Media.

McCarthy told the officer who stopped to check on his condition that he saw dead people and asked if the officer also saw dead people, police said. McCarthy refused to submit to field sobriety tests and to provide breath samples, police said.

According to the arrest report, his wife told Blairstown police there were family issues at home, that he'd been drinking heavily since 2002 and that they tried to get him help before. McCarthy denied having a drinking problem, according to the arrest report.

McCarthy's license was suspended for 90 days in August 2016 for a first-time DWI violation in the Blairstown incident. At the time of his arrest in Pennsylvania on June 16, his driver's license was valid.

McCarthy was hired by the Washington Township Police Department in February 1997, and, at the time he left the department, he was receiving a salary of $99,705.

Calls placed to McCarthy's attorney, Peter Moses, haven't yet been returned.

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.