Woman Charged in Levittown DUI Wreck

Bristol Township police have arrested a 47-year-old woman after obtaining a search warrant to measure her level of intoxication after a December accident which left two people injured.

Rachel Ann Cheesman, of Welsford Road in Bristol Township's Fairless Hills section, is charged with aggravated assault, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, fleeing or eluding an officer, driving under the influence, recklessly endangering another person, reckless driving and related offenses.

Cheesman is the woman who, according to police, was behind the wheel of a maroon Ford Taurus that crashed and took out a utility pole at Green Lane and Emilie Road.

Police first pulled over Cheesman at approximately midnight on Dec. 8, 2012 in the 100 block of Green Lynne Drive after officers spotted her drifting ahead of them on Mill Creek Road in Levittown, an affidavit said.

When officers approached the maroon Taurus, they noticed Cheesman was behind the wheel and she had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol, police said.

As officers spoke with the front seat passenger, the car “jerked” forward. An officer asked Cheesman to take her hand off the gear shifter, which she did, police said. The officers claim to have seen the 47-year-old woman place her hand on the gear shifter two more times. She accelerated and drove off on the final time, the affidavit states.

Police witnessed the Taurus driving at a high rate of speed through the Green Lynne section.

Moments after fleeing in the rain, the car left the roadway and struck the PECO pole, causing serious damage to the vehicle, police said.

Two passengers were extricated from the vehicle by firefighters from Edgely Fire Co. and Levittown Fire Co. 2. A female passenger suffered a subdural hematoma, internal bleeding, multiple fractures to her pelvis, hips, sternum, humorous and both femurs, court records show.

The crash caused traffic delays and a power outage in the area.

A police traffic unit investigation showed furrow marks on the grass near the crash scene. The affidavit states the vehicle slid sideways and spun counter-clockwise before striking the pole.

Cheesman suffered minor injures from the crash and was able to exit the vehicle, police said. She was transported to St. Mary Medical Center.

Law enforcement requested Cheesman provide a blood sample for blood alcohol level testing; she refused and police had to get a warrant to get the blood samples.

In December, Sgt. Chuck Burns told Patch the samples were sent to the crime lab for testing and would take several weeks for results. The police criminal complaint, filed in court on Tuesday, showed Cheesman had a blood alcohol level between .17 and .21 percent.

Cheesman was arraigned in front of District Justice Joanne Kline and released on $50,000 unsecured bail.

Related:

• Crash Caused by Driver Who Fled Traffic Stop
• Emergency Crews Respond to Accident at Intersection in Levittown