A Lancaster man faces vehicular homicide and other charges after police said he was intoxicated and speeding during a crash in East Lampeter Township in December that left a Lititz woman dead.
William R. Vaughan-Geib, 29, was charged Monday with vehicular homicide while DUI, homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, aggravated assault by vehicle, DUI, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and a traffic citation for the crash that occurred Dec. 29 in the 2100 block of New Holland Pike (Route 23).
According to East Lampeter Township Police:
Officers were dispatched around 12:40 p.m. for the report of a vehicle crash with entrapment.
A preliminary investigation found that a black 2017 Ford Escape was traveling eastbound on Route 23 and for an unknown reason crossed over the double yellow line into the oncoming westbound lane, striking a black 2016 Mazda CX5 nearly head-on.
Evidence showed the driver of the Mazda, later determined to be Kyra M. Dobler, 62, of Akron, attempted to avoid the crash by swerving to the right as the Ford, driven by Vaughan-Geib, came into her travel lane.
Officers found a female passenger of the Mazda on the roadway being attended to with CPR. Police assisted with the life-saving measures until EMS arrived, but the victim, later identified as Carole B. Stockdale, 63, of Lititz, was declared dead at the scene by the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office.
Dobler had to be rescued from her vehicle by emergency crews and was transported to a local hospital with severe injuries. Vaughan-Geib was also transported by ambulance to a local hospital with injuries.
Route 23 was closed for about four hours.
A later investigation included search warrants for both the Ford Escape and blood samples from Vaughan-Geib. Police located both drug paraphernalia and suspected marijuana inside his vehicle, and blood samples also revealed the presence of THC, the active ingredient of marijuana, in Vaughan-Geib’s system.
Investigators also found that Vaughan-Geib was traveling at 65 mph prior to impact in the roadway with a posted maximum speed limit of 40 mph.
On the morning of the crash, Vaughan-Geib faced preliminary arraignment in front of Judge David L. Ashworth for a separate DUI incident in West Lampeter Township on Oct. 20 where he was charged with DUI, driving an unregistered vehicle, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and other charges. Vaughan-Geib received $1,000 unsecured bail in the separate case but later had it revoked on Jan. 18.
Vaughan-Geib is currently being held in Lancaster County Prison on $100,000 bail for the Oct. 20 DUI case. He has yet to be arraigned on the new vehicular homicide charges filed Monday.
Staff writer Michael Yoder is an award-winning journalist who has been honored with several Keystone Press Awards for his investigative pieces.
