Upper Gwynedd Police Photo by James Short.
Officers allege driver showed signs of drug impairment after chain of crashes on Sumneytown Pike
A Lower Salford Township man is facing felony and misdemeanor charges after Upper Gwynedd Township Police said he struck multiple vehicles, fled officers and showed signs of drug impairment during a chaotic series of events along Sumneytown Pike last weekend.
Cesar Havier Latta, 30, of the 100 block of Main Street in the Harleysville area of the township, was charged with felony fleeing and eluding police Sunday following the Saturday evening incident, according to a police criminal complaint. He is facing a slew of summary vehicular and traffic offenses, as well as three misdemeanor counts of accidents involving damage to attended vehicles or property, and misdemeanor DUI and drug offenses, according to court documents.
Authorities alleged Latta was driving a light blue Honda Odyssey westbound around 6:53 p.m. when he veered into oncoming traffic at an irregular speed and collided with a Ford Fusion near 837 Sumneytown Pike, then left the scene.
Police later located the Odyssey stopped in a westbound turn lane at Sumneytown Pike and South Valley Forge Road at 7 p.m., positioned between a silver Toyota Sienna and a dark gray Toyota Rav4, according to the complaint. The Odyssey had front-end damage and the Sienna had rear damage, police said.
When officers activated lights and sirens, the driver of the van allegedly reversed into the Rav4, then lurched forward and struck the Sienna. Officers said the driver continued pressing the accelerator and refused commands to exit until he was physically removed from the vehicle, according to the complaint.
He was identified as Latta, the sole occupant, according to the complaint.
"The Fusion operator stated the Odyssey veered into the right curb lane and struck the rear driver side bumper. After the first collision, the Qdyssey veered into the right curb lane and struck the same area of the Fusion again," police wrote in the affidavit.
Police said Latta had slurred speech, was unsteady on his feet and struggled to follow instructions and needed police assistance to stand multiple times. Officers reported smelling burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle, according to the affidavit.
A search of the van allegedly turned up about 14.5 grams of marijuana in a plastic bag along with cigarillos.
Standardized field sobriety testing showed multiple indicators of impairment. Due to frigid temperatures, police transported Latta to a vestibule at North Penn Marketplace at 1551 S. Valley Forge Road, per the complaint, where a field sobriety test was then administered to Latta.
"While giving him the instructions, Latta leaned forward while nodding multiple times, had difficulty understanding and following the instructions, and had difficulty standing and maintaining balance. After multiple attempts, Latta was seated on a chair to administer this test," police wrote in the complaint.
A preliminary breath test for alcohol was negative at Lansdale Police Station, police said. Latta was read his rights three times and declined a blood test after being taken into custody around 7:54 p.m., according to the complaint.
Police alleged the involuntary jerking of the eyes during the sobriety test was due to drugs such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates, or phencyclidine, according to the affidavit.
In addition to the alleged hit-and-run, police said Latta did not have a valid driver’s license, the vehicle’s registration was suspended for lack of insurance, and the inspection had expired, according to the complaint.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
