Towamencin Woman Pleads Guilty to Homicide by Vehicle While DUI in Teen's Death

A Towamencin woman pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court Wednesday to homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence in the April hit-and-run death of a 15-year-old Hatfield boy.
Sarah Ann Derstein, 32, of the 100 block of Clemens Court, admitted to driving drunk and reading a text message in the April 26 accident that killed Dennis Kee on Route 309, according to The Reporter. Derstein's BAC level was more than twice the legal limit.
In addition to the homicide by vehicle while DUI charge, Derstein also pleaded guilty to DUI and accidents involving death or personal injury.
Derstein could be sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison on the homicide offense, and an additional three years on the DUI offense, per reports.
Derstein must undergo drug and alcohol evaluation and a background check prior to sentencing.
Derstein's BAC level was .167 percent at the time of the crash.
Derstein lost her license for a year in 2010 through ARD court in Montgomery County for a DUI offense in Towamencin Township, according to court records.
Kee was killed while walking on the shoulder of Route 309 the late evening of April 26.
Police responded at 11:34 p.m. to a report of a pedestrian struck by a car on Route 309 near Mill Road. Kee was found adjacent to the southbound shoulder of the road, police said. He was transported to Lehigh Valley Medical Center for treatment, and was pronounced dead at 12:35 a.m.  An autopsy revealed Kee died from mutliple blunt force injuries. 
Police said Kee was walking with four friends, when he and Deshawn Page, 15, were struck by Derstein's 2007 Toyota Corolla.
Kee was catapulted over the guardrail and landed in a field about 15 feet from the roadway, police said.
Page suffered a broken elbow as a result of the accident, police said.
After hitting Kee and Page, Derstein fled the scene, police said. Kee and Page's friends ran to a nearby shopping center to call for help.
Police executed a search warrant on Derstein's cell phone, which showed that she continued southbound on Route 309 to Ogontz and Cheltenham avenues in Philadelphia, police said.
She then returned to the scene of the crash at 12:22 a.m., and informed a fire police officer that she hit something on Route 309, police said.
Police officers responded to Derstein's location and found fresh, front-end damage to her car, police said.
Officers spoke with Derstein and suspected she had been drinking, police said. She was taken to Lansdale Hospital for a blood sample to determine BAC. A lab analysis showed Derstein had a BAC level of .167 percent, more than twice the legal limit in the state of .08, police said.
Prior to the hit-and-run, Derstein was drinking at Hattrick's in Hatfield Borough, reported Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman to PhillyBurbs.com. 
Derstein was also texting someone about buying and smoking marijuana, according to Ferman.
Marijuana was also found in a cigarette pack in Derstein's car, police said. 
The investigation revealed that Derstein consumed multiple alcoholic beverages prior to the crash, and was reading a text message at the time of the crash, police said. 
According to the affidavit, Derstein told police she hit "something" and got "freaked out" because she had been drinking. Derstein drove to Hilltown Crossing Shopping Center, parked at the McDonald's near Walmart and called her mother, according to the complaint. 
Derstein allegedly told police she continued further down Route 309 to Montgomeryville, but a search warrant showed Derstein drove as far as Cheltenham before turning around and going back to the scene.