A Lehigh County woman will spend up to six years in prison for driving drunk and causing a fatal crash in Hereford Township in 2021.
Wendalyn Kutz, 55, of Zionsville pleaded guilty in November in Berks County Court to homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence and aggravated assault by vehicle in the crash in October 2021.
On Tuesday, she was sentenced by Judge James M. Lillis to three to six years in prison.
The sentence matches the one included in Kutz’s negotiated plea agreement with prosecutors. Lillis was not bound by that deal.
Russell Badman, 33, of Herford Township, was killed in the crash.
According to troopers:
Kutz was driving southbound about 3:50 p.m. on Oct. 15, 2021, when she lost control on a curve, entered the northbound lane and struck Badman’s oncoming car.
When state police arrived, Badman was trapped inside his car and was pronounced dead.
Kutz was transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital for treatment. That evening at the hospital, she admitted to police that she had consumed alcohol and taken a Xanax before getting behind the wheel.
Blood was drawn for a blood-alcohol level test. The result showed a blood-alcohol content of 0.139%, more than 1 1/2 times the legal limit for driving.
A witness told state police that she saw Kutz traveling at a high speed on Gravel Pike when her minivan suddenly crossed the center line and veered off the road at a bend. She said that when she came around the bend she saw Badman’s car fly through the air.
During the investigation, state police reconstructed the crash and their analysis showed Kutz was traveling 65 mph at the time of the crash. The posted limit is 40 mph.
Source: Berkshire mont
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