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Woman abused fentanyl patches before crash in Penn Township

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A Littlestown woman faces aggravated assault with a vehicle and drunken driving charges for allegedly misusing prescribed fentanyl patches in connection with a September crash that left a motorcyclist critically injured, court documents show.

Deanna Fogle, 70, of Littlestown, was charged by police with aggravated assault by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence, misdemeanor charges related to driving under the influence and summary charges of reckless driving and failure to stop at a red light , according to court documents filed Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 by Penn Township police.

Court documents show Fogle was released on $15,000 unsecured bail.

Previously reported: Motorcyclist airborne after collision with two vehicles, leaving two injured in Penn Township

A probable cause affidavit filed by Penn Township police described the accident and the serious injuries the victim sustained.

On Sunday, September 8, 2024, at approximately 12:54 p.m., police were called to the area of ​​Black Rock Road and Grandview Road in Penn Township for a report of an erratic driver, the affidavit states.

The caller told dispatchers, according to the affidavit, that they saw a woman driving a white Volkswagen Jetta swerving in the roadway, nearly hitting a curb before stopping at the intersection with a green light and nearly hitting two pedestrians .

The vehicle was last seen turning left from Grandview Road onto Baltimore Street, the affidavit said. Responding officers were flagged down by the caller who told them they had just seen the vehicle leaving the Grandview Plaza shopping center heading north on Baltimore Street.

While this was happening, officers were alerted to a nearby wreck at the intersection of Baltimore Street and Grandview Road, according to the affidavit.

Officers arrived at the scene within moments and found the white Volkswagen Jetta in the middle of the intersection that had struck a motorcyclist, the affidavit said.

The driver of the Jetta, identified as Fogle, was standing next to her vehicle when police arrived and appeared confused, according to the affidavit. Fogle did not know where she was and “did not understand the questions asked of her,” the affidavit states.

Fogle did not appear to remember the events leading up to the crash, the affidavit said, and could not find her documents or identification.

Witnesses told officers that two motorcyclists were traveling on Grandview Road and turning south onto Baltimore Street on a green light when Fogle allegedly ran a red light and collided with one of the motorcyclists, according to the affidavit.

The motorcyclist who was hit had a “severe open fracture of the left leg,” according to the affidavit, and had to be flown to the trauma center at WellSpan York Hospital.

According to the affidavit, after arriving at the hospital, the motorcyclist was diagnosed with multiple leg fractures on his lower left leg, which required multiple surgeries, plates, rods and nails to treat. According to the affidavit, the motorcyclist is awaiting a skin transplant and will require additional surgeries.

According to the affidavit, Fogle was taken to UPMC Hanover Hospital for medical treatment.

When officers contacted Fogle's husband, they were told she was wearing a fentanyl pain patch, according to the affidavit.

When officers arrived at the hospital to speak with Fogle, hospital staff told officers that Fogle had two of the fentanyl pain patches on her back, according to the affidavit. Fogle had accurately identified the students, the affidavit said, and the emergency room had administered Narcan, a drug used to treat opioid overdoses.

After being administered Narcan, Fogle “experienced an improved mental status,” the affidavit states, and Fogle later had his blood drawn for chemical testing.

Later that month, police received chemical test results that showed Fogle had fentanyl and norfentanyl in her blood, the affidavit said.

In October, Fogle was interviewed at the Penn Township police station, where she handed officers the prescription box for her fentanyl patches.

According to the affidavit, the box stated that Fogle was only supposed to apply a patch to his skin every third day, but it was noted that Fogle had two on him during the accident.

Fogle allegedly told a nurse at the hospital that although she was only prescribed one patch, she “applied two because it helps with her chronic back pain,” the affidavit states.

A preliminary hearing for Fogle is scheduled for Jan. 30, 2025, according to court records.

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