PA man may have been on meth when he caused crash that killed 25-year-old mom, police say
A Clinton County man was accused Thursday of driving under the influence of methamphetamine when he caused an August crash that killed a woman in Penns Valley.
Travis L. Bennett, 29, crashed a 2011 Toyota RAV4 by drifting off state Route 45 in Haines Township, state police at Rockview wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.
Hali M. Harper, a 25-year-old passenger from Clinton County, was killed in the crash. The Central Mountain High School alumna was the mother of a daughter, according to her obituary.
Bennett, police wrote, had a raspy voice and irregular hand movements. He tested positive for methamphetamine. A smoking device used for consuming meth was found near the crash, police wrote.
A defense lawyer was not listed.
Bennett was charged with one felony count each of homicide by vehicle while DUI and aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI. He was also charged with two misdemeanor counts of DUI, one misdemeanor count each of recklessly endangering another person, unlawful possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, as well as four summary traffic violations.
He was arraigned Thursday by District Judge Gregory Koehle, who set bail at $350,000. Bennett did not post bail and is detained at the Centre County Correctional Facility.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 3:31 PM.