Driver admits to DUI crash

NORRISTOWN » A Trappe man awaits his fate from a judge now that he’s admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol or marijuana and causing a one-vehicle crash in Upper Providence Township that seriously injured two of his passengers.

Samuel Joseph Peters, 25, of the 100 block of Elio Circle, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to charges of aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence of alcohol or

controlled substances and driving under the influence of a controlled substance in connection with the 2:06 a.m. March 11, 2017, crash along Black Rock Road in Upper Providence.

Judge Gail A. Weilheimer deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigative report about Peters, including drug and alcohol evaluations. Peters remains free on bail pending his sentencing hearing later this year.

Peters faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison on the charges. However, state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence.

An investigation began when Upper Providence police responded to the report of a serious vehicle crash in the 1600 block of Black Rock Road and found a severely damaged 2006 Volkswagen Jetta on the northbound shoulder of the roadway.

The investigation determined

that Peters was operating his vehicle northbound “at such a high speed that he lost control of his vehicle, entered a yaw and struck a tree at a high rate of speed,” according to the criminal complaint filed by Upper Providence Police Officer Matthew Tobin.

“The speed analysis determined the vehicle’s speed to be in excess of 80 mph when Peters lost control,” Tobin alleged, adding the posted speed limit in the area is 40 mph.

Four passengers, three females and a male, also were in the vehicle at the time of the crash, and some were transported to area hospitals for treatment of injuries, police said.

A woman who was seated in the front passenger seat suffered a broken jaw and a bruised lung, court documents indicate. A second woman seated in the rear passenger compartment sustained multiple serious injuries to her pelvic and spinal areas, police said.

Emergency officials who treated Peters at the scene and at an area hospital observed

he had an odor of alcohol on his breath, according to court papers.

Blood analysis revealed Peters had a blood-alcohol content of 0.106 percent three hours after operating the vehicle, above the legal limit of 0.08 percent. Peters’ blood also tested positive for marijuana, according to the criminal complaint.

Police said the investigation determined that the crash occurred after Peters and his friends had been drinking at an Elio Circle home and had visited a Phoenixville area nightclub.

At one point during the drive, shortly before the crash, one female passenger told Peters to “chill out and take the turns easy,” according to the criminal complaint.

With the DUI-related charge authorities alleged Peters operated a vehicle while under the influence of a drug to a degree which impaired his ability to safely drive or control the movement of the vehicle.

Court papers indicate it is Peters’ first DUI-related offense.