A Rebersburg man is accused of driving under the influence of multiple narcotics when he caused a crash that seriously injured a woman last month in Spring Township.
Mick L. Hockenberry Jr., 29, was charged Wednesday with felony counts of driving under the influence of controlled substances and aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI for the crash on the 800 block of South Main Street. Police said Hockenberry had two prior DUI convictions in the last 10 years.
Hockenberry was driving a Dodge Durango northbound and crossed into the southbound lane at about 2 p.m. on April 22, according to a criminal complaint filed by Spring Township police After striking one vehicle head on, he continued on to hit a Ford Edge and wedge it against a guardrail, police wrote.
All three vehicles sustained debilitating damage and the driver of the Edge had to be extricated from the SUV. She was hospitalized for four days because of injuries from the crash.
Centre Hall Mountain was closed to traffic for several hours after the crash.
Hockenberry showed signs of impairment at the scene, police wrote. Among his possessions was a black plastic container with what appeared to be marijuana wax and in his waistband he had a methamphetamine pipe, according to the affidavit.
He allegedly told police that he had smoked marijuana that morning and had smoked meth four days earlier, saying he was trying to get sober but relapsed. He also said he took suboxone, a prescription medication used to treat opioid addiction, police wrote.
Hockenberry performed unsatisfactorily on a field sobriety test, and while en route to the hospital for evaluation by a state police drug recognition expert, he told EMS personnel that he smoked meth that morning, according to the affidavit.
A blood test showed Hockenberry had amphetamine, methamphetamine and THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, in his system, police wrote.
The woman injured in the crash broke her ankle in three spots and had difficulty walking weeks later, using a walking boot and a walker to get around her house, according to the affidavit. She previously had surgery on the same ankle, and the crash caused the ankle to break again, resulting in irreversible damage.
She had been able to care for herself before the crash but now required assistance with daily tasks, and her doctor informed her the injury would have a long-term effect on her life, police wrote.
In addition to the DUI charges, Hockenberry is charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia and three summary traffic violations.
He was arraigned on Wednesday morning by District Judge Gregory Koehle, who set unsecured bail at $25,000.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 4.
