CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — A Chambersburg woman is accused of driving under the influence of controlled substances when she struck a brick mailbox in Hamilton Township with her 2-year-old grandchild in the vehicle, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Kayla Renee Wolfe, 36, faces 11 criminal and traffic charges stemming from the Oct. 2 incident, including felony endangering the welfare of a child and misdemeanor DUI.
State police responded to the area of Sollenberger and Brechbill roads shortly before 7 p.m. after receiving a report that a vehicle had crashed into a mailbox and a young child was crying inside.
When troopers arrived, they found a white Mitsubishi Lancer that had collided with a brick mailbox, scattering debris across a residential driveway.
Emergency medical personnel were attending to the toddler, who had been secured in a car seat behind the front passenger seat. The child was transported to Chambersburg Hospital for evaluation, according to court documents.
Police identified Wolfe as the driver and said she arranged for a family member to accompany her grandchild to the hospital.
According to the criminal complaint, Wolfe told investigators she was heading toward Chambersburg when she lost consciousness behind the wheel. Her vehicle then crossed into the opposite lane and struck the mailbox.
Troopers reported observing several possible indicators of impairment, including bloodshot eyes, slowed responses and difficulty standing without losing her balance.
Wolfe acknowledged taking medication before the crash, police said.
Investigators subsequently administered field sobriety tests. According to the affidavit of probable cause, Wolfe struggled to follow directions, had difficulty completing tasks requiring divided attention and exhibited problems with coordination.
Troopers took Wolfe into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence and child endangerment.
She was transported to Chambersburg Hospital, where she consented to a blood draw. Police said subsequent laboratory analysis detected multiple controlled substances in her system.
During the investigation, troopers also allegedly discovered a glass smoking device containing residue in Wolfe’s front left pocket.
Authorities accused Wolfe of attempting to hide the item, leading to an additional misdemeanor charge of tampering with physical evidence.
Court documents also describe statements Wolfe allegedly made at the hospital concerning her drug use.
In addition to DUI and child endangerment, Wolfe was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, tampering with physical evidence, reckless driving, careless driving, failure to maintain a traffic lane and driving at an unsafe speed.
Other counts involve child passenger restraint requirements, failure to carry a vehicle registration card and a violation related to controlled substances or alcoholic beverages on a highway.
The child endangerment offense is graded as a third-degree felony, while the evidence-tampering charge is a second-degree misdemeanor.
The charges are allegations. Wolfe is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
