On Friday prosecutors charged a 23-year-old man with DUI, homicide by vehicle, careless driving and related charges for the April 29 crash that resulted in the death of his passenger.
Howard Christy II of East Greenville, Pa. was driving drunk and without a license when he drove his 1998 Pontiac Sunfire into the Perkioman Creek in the early hours of April 29, Montgomery County District Attorney and Douglass Township Police Chief Barry Templin Jr. said in a press release.
Police were called to the scene on the 200 block of Paper Mill Road in Douglass Township just before 11 a.m. after a family happened upon Christy's partially submerged car, the D.A.'s office said.
Chris Harwick who was heading to the creek to fish with his son and nephew told NBC10 that he saw the car and immediately jumped in to help. "I tried to get in the one door, couldn't get in, and went around the other side, got in, as soon as we opened the door a hand came up out of the water and I helped this young man out of the car, struggled to get him onto the bank," said Chris Harwick.
Authorities say that by the time anyone happened upon the car it was too late for Christy's passenger Etinye Usoro.
Per the District Attorney's press release:
Etinye Usoro was seated in the front passenger seat and was still wearing his seat belt when Gilbertsville Fire Department personnel removed him from the vehicle. While removing the victim from the car, a partially full bottle of vodka floated out of the car. On May 24, 2012, the Montgomery County Coroner determined that Etinye Osoro died from drowning as a result of the crash.
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Christy was still alive and was rushed to Lehigh Valley Hospital where he was treated for hypothermia and other injuries, authorities said.
While at the hospital, Christy's blood was drawn. Investigators say that Christy's blood alcohol was .12 percent (above the legal limit of .08) almost 12 hours after the wreck.
The forensic toxicologist determined that with a reasonable certainty, "that at the time of the crash the defendant’s alertness, judgment, perception, coordination, response time and sense of care and caution were impaired to the point of rendering the defendant unfit to operate safely a motor vehicle as a result of drinking alcohol and ingesting marijuana."
Christy only had a photo ID at the time of the crash, according to the D.A.
He was arraigned Friday afternoon on 15 counts and was sent to jail unable to post $85,000 bail, according to court records.
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