Erie woman convicted of vehicular homicide while intoxicated | News

An Erie woman was sentenced to three to six years in state prison followed by four years of probation for causing the death of a Waterford man near Centerville in 2022.

Leighanne M. Young, 41, was sentenced Monday by Crawford County Judge Mark Stevens for causing a head-on crash in Athens Township that took the life of 54-year-old Brian Ensign. The accident took place on Route 8, near Centreville, around 7:30 p.m. on October 6, 2022.

On February 29 of this year, Young avoided a trial by pleading guilty to charges of vehicular homicide while driving under the influence and driving under the influence (DUI).

Stevens sentenced Young to serve a total of three to six years in state prison, followed by four years of probation, as well as pay $8,414.92 in restitution to Ensign's family for burial costs. and $1,100 fine plus court costs. Stevens gave Young 63 days of pretrial jail time.

The vehicular homicide while DUI charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of three years in state prison.

Young had a blood alcohol level of more than 0.25 percent, according to the arrest affidavit filed by Pennsylvania State Police in Corry. The content was more than three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent for drivers under Pennsylvania law.

Blood tests showed Young also had prescription drugs Adderall and Ativan in his blood, Crawford County Prosecutor Paula DiGiacomo told the court.

Adderall is an amphetamine brand medication prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. Ativan is a brand name sedative prescribed for anxiety and anxiety-related sleep problems.

DiGiacomo said police also found empty and opened cans of Bud Light seltzer in the driver's seat of Young's vehicle after the crash.

“There is nothing anyone can say that will give the victim's family any relief, but they might have some chance of closure,” DiGiacomo told the court before the sentencing. pain.

Young's vehicle crossed the highway's center line, nearly hitting two other vehicles before colliding with Ensign's at more than 74 miles per hour, DiGiacomo said.

The police affidavit said Ensign was driving north on Route 8 near Centerville when his Honda Civic was struck head-on by a southbound Honda Pilot driven by Young. The drivers of the two cars in front of Ensign told police that Young's vehicle crossed the center line and passed so close to their vehicles that they could feel their vehicles shaking. The drivers then saw Young's vehicle hit Ensign's behind them in their rearview mirrors, the affidavit states.

Young's vehicle came to rest on its roof south of the initial impact while Ensign's vehicle continued north and left the east side of Highway 8. Both drivers were transported by medical helicopter at UPMC Hamot in Erie where Ensign later died due to multiple blunt forces. trauma.

In brief remarks, Young said she had deep remorse and regret for what happened to Ensign and her family.

“My actions were self-centered and negligent,” Young said. “I wish I could undo the damage caused by the pain I caused them.”

In sentencing Young, Judge Stevens noted that his actions were “an avoidable problem” and that although Young had expressed genuine remorse, “there are consequences to pay.”