Towamencin Woman Waives Hearing in Hit-and-Run Death of Hatfield Teen

A Towamencin woman charged with homicide by vehicle while under the influence, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and other offenses in the hit-and-run death of Dennis Kee, 15, of Hatfield, waived her preliminary hearing Monday morning in Souderton District Court, according to court records.

Prosecutors withdrew two summary traffic offenses against Sarah Derstein, 31, of Clemens Court, who allegedly had a BAC level more than twice the legal limit when she allegedly hit Kee on April 26 on Route 309. Derstein had been drinking at Hattrick’s in Hatfield Borough, according to court affidavits.

In exchange for the waiver, Derstein’s bail was also reduced from $100,000 cash to $99,999 cash so that she could be placed in general population and work at Montgomery County prison, according to court documents.

Prosecutors withdrew two of four counts of reckless endangerment, a summary count of careless driving and a count of failing to stop and render aid.

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.

Derstein is charged with felony homicide by vehicle, felony homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, two felony counts of accidents involving death or personal injury, felony aggravated assault by vehicle, two counts of misdemeanor reckless endangerment, misdemeanor lying to police, misdemeanor DUI with BAC above .16, misdemeanor DUI causing impairment of driving safely, possession of marijuana, failing to notify police of an accident or death, careless driving causing an unintentional death, disregarding a traffic lane, reckless driving and driving while using text-based communications, 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. April 26 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 allegedly 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 allegedly hitting Kee and Page, Derstein allegedly 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 Ferman to PhillyBurbs.com. 

Derstein was also allegedly 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 allegedly 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.

The case will be prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jordan Friter.

Souderton District Court hears cases for arrests in Hatfield Borough, Souderton Borough, Telford Borough, Franconia Township, and Hatfield Township (Voting Districts 2, 3, and 4). All other Hatfield Township cases go before District Judge Andrea Duffy in Montgomeryville.