Upper Pottsgrove man admits to hit-and-run

NORRISTOWN >> An Upper Pottsgrove man told police, “I thought I killed her and I panicked,” and now awaits his fate from a judge for leaving the scene after striking and seriously injuring a female pedestrian with his pickup truck in the township.

Stephen Frank Drozda, 52, of the 1200 block of Pine Street, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to a felony charge of accidents involving injury failing to stop in connection with the 6:35 a.m. Oct. 30, 2018, hit-andrun pedestrian crash at the intersection of North Hanover and Diamond streets.

Judge Todd D. Eisenberg deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigation report about Drozda, who will undergo drug and alcohol evaluations.

The judge also ordered court officials to complete a house arrest suitability assessment for Drozda, who is represented by defense lawyer Martin P. Mullaney.

Drozda, who remains free on bail pending a sentencing hearing later this year, faces a possible maximum sentence of 3½-to7-years in prison on the charges. However, state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence.

The investigation began when police were dispatched for a report of “a subject down, laying in the roadway,” at the intersection after being struck by a vehicle that was exiting Diamond Street onto North Hanover Street, according to a criminal complaint.

The female victim suffered a leg fracture, multiple foot fractures and chin and head contusions and was transported to Reading Hospital Tower Health, police said.

Investigators obtained video surveillance footage from various homes and businesses in the area that depicted the victim walking southbound on the sidewalk on the west side of North Hanover Street and then beginning to cross Diamond Street, according to the criminal complaint.

“As she was approximately halfway across the roadway, vehicle headlights could be seen illuminating her. The vehicle identified at the time as a white Ford extended cab pickup with a long bed, failed to stop for the posted stop sign at the intersection of Diamond and North Hanover,” Upper Pottsgrove Police Officer Lawrence A. Hanna alleged in the arrest affidavit.

“The video shows (the victim) disappear under the front of the truck as it begins to occupy the space where she once was and continues driving, subsequently running over her,” Hanna added.

The Ford truck then turned north onto North Hanover Street and continued on for about a quarter-mile, police alleged.

“The vehicle can then be seen stopping, then making a U-turn,” Hanna alleged, adding video surveillance showed the Ford truck traveled south on North Hanover and slowed down as it approached the intersection with Diamond Street.

“In the video footage, the victim, who was still alone and not moving, laying in the middle of the dark roadway, could be seen as the suspect vehicle slows down and drives right by the victim,” Hanna alleged.

The Ford pickup truck was last seen making a right turn to travel west on Diamond Street.

Shortly thereafter, other drivers approaching the area stopped and tended to the victim lying in the roadway.

Video surveillance cameras and “the excellent quality of the video” that was obtained assisted police in identifying Drozda as a suspect.

“That footage had allowed us to determine that there was some type of structure or large custom bumper on the front of the truck…,” Hanna said. “That video also showed where the truck had gone after it disappeared from the view of the original camera.”

On Dec. 4, police located the vehicle parked in front of Drozda’s residence, court documents indicate.

When police interviewed Drozda, he admitted to being in the area of the crash and to feeling “a bump” when he pulled out from Diamond Street onto North Hanover Street.

“He also stated that he knew that something was not right and that was why he turned around and returned, at which time he observed the victim laying in the street, panicked and left the scene in the exact directions as we observed on surveillance,” Hanna alleged.

After Drozda viewed video surveillance of the incident police asked him “What were you scared of?” according to court documents.

Drozda allegedly responded, “I was scared man, I thought I killed her and I panicked.”

Other charges of duty to give information and render aid, failure to report a crash, and careless driving are slated to be dismissed against Drozda at sentencing time in exchange for his guilty plea to the more serious felony charge.