Driver Charged With Homicide (The Weekly Almanac)July 23, 2008
Dean O’Halloran did not attend a preliminary hearing at Central Court at the Wayne County Courthouse on Wednesday morning. Attorney Paul Walker, of Scranton, represented him at the formality and a date for a judicial hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
Mr. O’Halloran, 25, of Scranton, turned himself in to Pennsylvania State Police at Honesdale on Thursday morning on charges of criminal homicide, aggravated assault and homicide by vehicle in connection with an incident that occurred three years ago.
On April 15, 2005, Mr. O’Halloran was involved in a car crash with Diane M. Glynn, 45, of Hawley, while operating a Penske truck on Route 590 in Salem Township.
Mr. O’Halloran was traveling east on Route 590 when he crossed into the westbound lane and collided with Mrs. Glynn’s Dodge Neon, according to the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Specialists Unit.
Mrs. Glynn died of multiple traumatic injuries sustained as a result of the accident, according to Wayne County Coroner Carol R. Lienert.
On Feb. 25, attorney Mark Tanner, of Philadelphia, who represented the Glynn estate in a civil suit that has since been settled, provided information that Mr. O’Halloran had a blood alcohol level of .149 when testing was conducted at Community Medical Center in Scranton two hours after the crash. The state’s legal limit is .08 percent.
During the initial investigation, state police interviewed Mr. O’Halloran while he was being transported by ambulance, but stated that he did not display any indications of alcohol or drug use at that time nor was it apparent to ambulance personnel.
Originally, information was obtained from a witness that claimed Mr. O’Halloran’s truck was weaving in and out of lanes. According to a state police report, this witness also had some contact with Mr. O’Halloran immediately after the crash and did not indicate any evidence of intoxication.
Despite the information on his alleged weaving, this did not satisfy the level of proof needed to provide the probable cause necessary to request that blood be drawn for DUI analysis because weaving could also indicate sleep deprivation or other problems. As a result, police also couldn’t issue a search warrant or subpoena to obtain Mr. O’Halloran’s medical records, explained State Police Trooper Bill Satkowski.
With the new information provided by Mr. Tanner, a new investigation was conducted. During this investigation, it was discovered that state police at Dunmore investigated a collision on Interstate 81, Moosic Borough, Lackawanna County, at 6:15 a.m. on the same day as the accident involving Mrs. Glynn. The collision lists Mr. O’Halloran as the operator of the vehicle involved. According to witnesses, Mr. O’Halloran’s vehicle struck another while driving erratically on Interstate 81 and he then fled the scene without contact with state police.
Based on this information, search warrants were prepared to retrieve all medical and employment records relating to Mr. O’Halloran. These records confirmed and supported the information that was discovered in the civil action.
”These charges do not include DUI because the statute of limitations has expired on those charges,” said Trooper Satkowski.
Mr. O’Halloran was arraigned on $50,000 bail Thursday morning before District Judge Bonnie Carney at District Court 22-3-01 in Hawley. He posted bail on Friday.
”Our hearts go out to the Glynn family,” said Wayne County District Attorney Michael Lehutsky. “We will do the best we can to make sure the ends of justice are served in this matter.”
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