MAHAFFEY — A Patton woman told police she was on her way home from heroin-addiction treatment Wednesday when she drove off the road and killed two pedestrians, a source involved with the investigation told The Tribune-Democrat.
Bobbi Jo Morgan, 22, of Patton, was traveling south on Route 36 in the Clearfield County borough of Mahaffey on Wednesday morning when she veered off the road.
Her car struck 63-year-old Bertha Kitchen, who was pushing her 3-year-old granddaughter, Samantha, in a stroller, according to police documents.
Kitchen was taking the child on their daily walk to the post office when the crash occurred shortly after 11 a.m. Kitchen was pronounced dead at Clearfield Hospital by Deputy Coroner Michael Polachek.
The child was taken to Punxsutawney Hospital, where she was pronounced dead by emergency room staff.
Both died of blunt-force trauma.
After striking the woman and the child, Morgan’s 1990 Buick sedan traveled through two yards and an alley, destroying a wooden fence, before coming to rest in a driveway. An unidentified 8-year-old girl, who was walking nearby, sustained minor injuries from the flying wooden debris, police said.
The source said Morgan was returning from the Discovery House treatment facility, near the Clearfield County Airport in Lawrence Township, about 50 miles from Patton.
William Shaw, Clearfield County district attorney, said his office is working with state police in Punxsutawney and that charges had not been filed as of late Thursday.
“The case is under investigation. And it is premature to say if charges are going to be filed or not,” Shaw said.
He would not confirm whether toxicology tests were conducted.
“All I can say is, the issue is under intense investigation,” Shaw said. “I do intend to get to the bottom of this.”
Information obtained at the Cambria County clerk of courts office shows Morgan entered a guilty plea in October 2005 to conspiracy to deliver drugs.
Records also show that Judge Gerard Long sentenced Morgan to four months of in-house detention.
The charges stemmed from an incident in February 2005, when Morgan sold six small bags of heroin for $180 to an undercover officer who was working with the county’s drug task force. Morgan then was living at HAIDA Village apartments in Hastings.
The Rev. John White, former pastor at Mahaffey United Methodist Church, said the town is devastated by the deaths of Kitchen and her granddaughter.
A little Dora the Explorer table and chairs set remained on the front stoop of Kitchen’s mobile home on Sheffield Road, where she was known to baby-sit local children.
White, who retired last month, said he came to know the family after he married the little girl’s parents about two years ago.
“They were good people,” White said.
Local News
Source: Driver in deadly crash may have been on methadone
- Local News
-
-
Boswell-based summer camp adding 130 acres
A Boswell-based summer camp is expanding again, with an additional 130 acres of Ligonier-area land expected to provide more space for a growing program for inner-city youth.
-
City not seeking grant for firemen
Six weeks after a second round of layoffs, Johnstown firefighters believe they have found a way to restore their depleted manpower.
-
Six awarded Allegany College scholarships
Six Somerset County residents recently were awarded the Lucas Popernack Memorial Scholarships for study at Allegany College of Maryland in the current 2011-12 academic year.
-
Blogging with heart
Although it was probably high school English classes that propelled by career, I always liked science and history – with some notable, teacher-personality-or-competence-related exceptions.
-
Commissioners appoint three to arena board
The Cambria County commissioners, looking for new input for the county-owned War Memorial Arena, have appointed three new members to the seven-member War Memorial Authority board.
-
In brief: Police seek suspect in Lower Yoder burglary
West Hills Regional Police are searching for a suspect in the burglary of a Lower Yoder Township home on Tuesday.
-
Lawsuit: Bedford County shooting not 'justified'
The widow of a man who a prosecutor determined committed “suicide by cop” by pointing a weapon at state police during a standoff is suing, claiming the shooting was not justified.
-
Book honors Flight 93 co-pilot Homer
The widow of Flight 93 copilot LeRoy W. Homer Jr. is releasing a book this month on the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
-
Mild winter speeds work: Entertainment venue may be complete by end of May
An unusually mild winter has accelerated construction of a new outdoor entertainment venue in Johnstown.
-
Man jailed on rash of charges
A Patton man is being held on $100,000 bond after police said he threatened to kill a woman, her family and himself unless she talked to him about a protection-from-abuse order.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Boswell-based summer camp adding 130 acres
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC
Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion'
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
