LANCASTER, PA — West Hempfield Township Police and the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office jointly announced that charges were filed Wednesday regarding a single-vehicle deadly crash on Dec. 3 at Prospect and Garfield roads.
Larry K. Rapp, 63 of the 200 block of E Front Street, was charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI, a second-degree felony; homicide by vehicle, a third-degree felony; seven different counts of driving under the influence, all misdemeanors; possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor; and summary offenses of disregarding traffic lanes and operating a vehicle without a valid inspection.
Charges were filed before Magisterial District Judge Miles Bixler.
On Dec. 3, 2022, at approximately 1:17 a.m., West Hempfield Township Police were dispatched to a single-vehicle crash on Prospect Road, south of the intersection with Garfield Road.
Officers observed a white Ford Bronco with heavy front-end damage and Rapp extricated from the driver’s seat and being treated by EMS. Officers located a passenger in the front right seat who did not show signs of life.
The victim’s cause of death was ruled multiple traumatic injuries due to the motor vehicle crash by the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office.
The crash reconstruction showed left tire marks in the grass roadway edge, down an embankment, and leading up to collisions with three separate trees before coming to final rest by the roadway. The weather at the time of the crash was cloudy with the road clear of any debris and dry. No attempts at evasive steering or braking were observed prior to the crash.
Officers and EMS reported a heavy odor of alcohol coming from the defendant and an executed search warrant for a blood sample showed the defendant’s BAC at 0.22%, nearly three times over the legal limit.
Positive findings of cocaine and THC, the major psychoactive component of marijuana, were also found in the defendant’s blood sample after being sent to NMS labs for testing.
The defendant admitted to operating the vehicle that night and had consumed alcohol and potentially cocaine prior to driving, that his vehicle was not properly inspected due to exhaust issues, and that he was familiar with the roadway he was operating on.
Further executed search warrants revealed the vehicle was in working order and found no mechanical issues that would have contributed to the crash although the inspection had expired.
West Hempfield Township Police Department Corporal Ryan McKernan filed charges which were approved by First Assistant District Attorney Todd Brown and Assistant District Attorney Caitlin Blazier.
Information, a criminal complaint, or an arrest is not a declaration of guilt. A suspect, arrestee, or defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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