A Delaware woman is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges after she allegedly caused two crashes along Allentown Road and then fled the scenes.
Towamencin Township Police were dispatched to the intersection of Allentown and Orvilla roads on Jan. 28 at 5:50 p.m. for a report of a hit-and-run vehicle accident. Upon arrival, witnesses told police that a U-Haul van was traveling on Allentown Road when it went through a red light and struck a vehicle, the report states. The vehicle then fled the scene towards the intersection with Valley Forge Road, where it struck another vehicle and again fled towards Lansdale Borough, according to the criminal complaint.
No injuries were reported at either of the crash scenes, the report states.
Police said the van came to a stop near the intersection of Pennsylvania and South Richardson avenues in Lansdale Borough. As police spoke with the driver—later identified as 28-year-old Sara Heegard, of Newark, DE—they stated that she provided a false name on two occasions, at which point she was placed into custody, the report states.
Investigators reportedly found an uncapped needle and heroin in the cupholder of the vehicle, and Heegard later told police that she had used heroin at 5:30 a.m. that morning, according to the complaint.
Once police had taken Heegard to the Towamencin Township Police Department for processing, she reportedly provided her real name, and failed a series of field sobriety tests, police said. Heegard then consented to a blood test, the report states.
The following day, investigators made contact with a representative from U-Haul, who stated that they had just reported the van as stolen, police said.
As a result of the investigation, Heegard has been charged with one felony count of receiving stolen property, two misdemeanor counts of providing false identification to law enforcement, two misdemeanor counts of accidents involving damage to attended vehicles, three misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance.
DUI charges will also be filed, pending the results of the toxicology report, police said.
Heegard was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine, who set bail at $20,000 cash. Heegard was then remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after failing to post bail, and her next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on Feb. 5 at 3:15 p.m. in front of Judge Levine.
(Editor’s note: All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause, and reflects the point of view of the police. Should the defendant choose to issue a public statement, or is later found not guilty or has the charges dropped, we will update this article accordingly.)
See also:
Knife-Wielding Incident At Intersection Leads To Criminal Charges For Lansdale Man: Police
Veterinary Technician Accused Of Forging Prescriptions In Towamencin
Police Arrest Man In Connection With Violent Domestic Assault In Upper Gwynedd Township
Man Accused Of Causing Crash With Injuries Following Police Pursuit In Towamencin Township
Man Facing New Charges Following Domestic Assault In Upper Gwynedd Township
