Woman sentenced in assault, DUI incident

NORRISTOWN » A Bucks County woman admitted to driving drunk at the time of a disturbance on the driveway of a Horsham residence during which police alleged she struck a woman with her vehicle.

Christina Maria Deni, 24, of the 500 block of Norwood Avenue, Warminster, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 3 to 6 months in jail after she pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault, accidents involving injury, recklessly endangering other persons and driving under the influence of alcohol, general impairment, in connection with a November 2019 incident.

Judge William R. Carpenter, who accepted a plea agreement in the matter, said Deni also must complete three years’ probation following parole. The judge ordered her to have no contact with the victims, a man and a woman who were at the Horsham residence at the time of the incident.

The investigation began about 4:45 a.m. Nov. 16, 2019, when Horsham police were dispatched to a residence in the 1200 block of Horsham Road for a report of a vehicle crash with a pedestrian struck, according to a criminal complaint filed by Horsham Police Officer Brandon J. Byrne.

Arriving officers found a female lying in the driveway of the home “on her back, screaming for help” and being attended to by her boyfriend, Byrne alleged.

“The boyfriend stated that he and his girlfriend had a female friend over at the house when they asked her to leave. This female, who was later identified as Christina Maria Deni, entered her vehicle that was parked in the driveway and drove forward, striking a parked Hyundai Sonata in front of it,” Byrne alleged.

“The injured female lying on the ground was in between Deni’s vehicle and the parked Sonata. According to the boyfriend, Deni was pressing on the gas on purpose pinning the victim,” Byrne alleged, adding witnesses said Deni then reversed out of the driveway and struck a vehicle that was traveling westbound on Horsham Road as well as a mailbox.

Deni then left the scene, police alleged.

“I observed fresh tire marks that would indicate Deni was pressing the accelerator with the victim in between the two cars,” Byrne alleged, adding skid marks in the roadway in front of the home indicated Deni exited the driveway at a high rate of speed.

By 5:43 a.m. police made contact with Deni at her Warminster home. Police noticed Deni’s vehicle parked in the driveway of her residence and noted it “had heavy rear end damage and damage to the front of it as well,” according to the arrest affidavit.

Police alleged Deni was evasive when questioned about the Horsham incident. While speaking with Deni, police detected an odor of alcohol emanating from Deni and reported her eyes were glassy and her speech was slurred.

“I formed the opinion that Deni was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident, to a degree it rendered her incapable of safely operating a vehicle,” Byrne alleged.

Deni was asked to submit to a chemical test of her blood but allegedly replied, “No, I’m refusing everything,” according to the criminal complaint.

In the criminal complaint, police alleged the driver of the second vehicle struck on Horsham Road suffered a lacerated spleen during the crash.

The judge ordered that Deni comply with all recommendations for treatment.

Other charges of aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, simple assault, terroristic threats, backing up vehicle improperly and careless driving were dismissed against Deni as part of the plea agreement.