Driver Who Was High On Fentanyl, Marijuana Sentenced In Crash That Killed Brick Woman, 78

BRICK, NJ — A driver who admitted to being high when she crossed the center line of the road, causing a crash that killed an elderly Brick woman, has been sentenced to prison, officials said.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Ashley Watkins, 32, has been sentenced to five years in New Jersey state prison for the 2021 crash that killed 78-year-old Nancy Penrod.

Watkins, of Eatontown, pleaded guilty in October to a count of vehicular homicide. She also admitted to a motor vehicle offense of driving while intoxicated on Dec. 1, Billhimer said Monday.

Toxicology tests performed on a blood sample showed fentanyl, diphenhydramine (Benadryl), and marijuana in her bloodstream, officials said.

Penrod died at Ocean Medical Center on May 9, 2021 of injuries she suffered in the crash, which happened about 9:45 a.m. that day at Lanes Mill Road and Greenwood Loop. Investigators determined Watkins, who was driving a 2011 Toyota Camry, crossed the center line of the road as she was driving southwest and hit a 2014 Dodge Caravan head-on.

Terry Penrod, 78, Nancy's husband, was driving and suffered a broken leg and was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, authorities said.

Watkins suffered minor injuries and was taken to Ocean Medical Center for treatment, where she consented to the blood draw, officials said previously.

She will have to serve at least 85 percent of her sentence before she may be considered for parole eligibility, Billhimer said.