Montco Man Was High, Drove 84 MPH In 35 Zone Before Fatal Crash: DA

FRANCONIA TOWNSHIP, PA — A 20-year-old Hatfield Township man has been charged with homicide by vehicle after going at least 84 miles per hour in a residential area while high on marijuana, police said.

The incident occurred on Sept. 14 at around 5:43 p.m. on the 500 block of Mininger Road in Franconia Township.

Blood testing and an evaluation from experts with the National Medical Services found that Logan Dierkes had ingested marijuana within three hours of the crash, police said. The amount found in his system "was in sufficient quantity to affect line of sight, distance, and reaction delays, the DA said.

After taking the marijuana, Dierkes got behind the wheel and drove his Dodge Charger at speeds that might have reached as high as 97 miles per hour, an investigation by the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office found.

The speed limit in the area was 35 miles per hour.

Paula Ann Wilson, a Bethlehem resident, was pulling out of a driveway in her 2007 black Ford Explorer as Dierkes came roaring over the hill, police said. Her 7-year-old granddaughter and another adult were inside the vehicle with her.

Dierkes did not stop and slammed into Wilson's vehicle, uplifting it and sending it flying 105 feet away, according to authorities.

Wilson was taken to Grand View Hospital where she was pronounced dead. The child was treated for minor injuries and kept for observation.

Dierkes was also hospitalized for his injuries.

DA Kevin Steele said Wilson was "a grandma who was tragically killed doing something as ordinary as pulling out of a residential driveway."

He faces counts of DUI and reckless endangerment in addition to homicide by vehicle. He was released on $99,000 bail and a preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 13.