2011 Luzerne County Elections

June 8, 2010

Woman involved in crash with Marino faces DUI charge

Merschbach, of Towanda, was intoxicated, allege police, in accident with House hopeful.

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
Andrew M. Seder on Facebook   |   @TLAndrewSeder on Twitter

The 23-year-old woman involved in the head-on crash that injured her and U.S. House candidate Tom Marino last week has been charged with driving under the influence, state police said. Blood tests revealed her blood-alcohol content was .169 percent, twice the legal limit.

A summons was sent through the mail to Michele Jordan Merschbach, 23, of Towanda, charging her with driving under the influence of alcohol, a misdemeanor, and summary counts of careless driving and leaving the roadway while operating her vehicle. She is scheduled to appear before Magisterial District Judge Timothy Clark in Towanda at 10:30 a.m. on July 14.

According to state police, Merschbach was driving north on Main Street in Towanda Township just after 9 p.m. June 1 in a Pontiac Grand Prix when she crossed the center line and collided head-on with a Chevrolet Silverado pickup driven by Marino.

Marino, 57, of Lycoming Township, Lycoming County, was transported to Memorial Hospital in Towanda with bruises and soreness but no broken bones. He was kept for two nights, then released. Merschbach was released the morning of June 2. Her injuries were called “minor” by state police but were not specified.

According to the police criminal complaint, Merschbach told the responding trooper she had consumed four Captain Morgan rum and Cokes at the Villa Senna in Towanda before the incident.

Efforts to reach Merschbach on Monday were unsuccessful.

Marino was not cited in the crash and he said he was not drinking that night or any night the past 30 years.

Blood was drawn from Marino in the hospital at 10:40 p.m. June 1, and the results were released to The Times Leader. They showed no evidence of alcohol.

Marino, a Republican, faces U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, D-Dimock Township, in November for the 10th Congressional District seat.

Tweet	Follow @TLnews

This story also appears on the following websites...