However, Samdperil said, he and his client are aware that the case is still open and continues to be investigated.Two men have died and a woman is in hospital after suffering gunshot wounds at a Tasmanian house with two children inside. Samdperil believes Conway dropped the charges because she didn’t have enough evidence to proceed with prosecution of the charge at the time of the pending probable cause hearing, scheduled for Oct. “But we haven’t seen sufficient evidence of criminal wrongdoing on the part of my client, or that my client was under the influence of alcohol. “This accident was a horrible tragedy,” Samdperil said. Should the investigation produce sufficient evidence to indict, Conway said, new charges can be filed and the case brought forward.Īccording to Sargent’s attorney, Richard Samdperil, of Exeter, at the time the charges were dropped, the prosecution didn’t have sufficient evidence to prove an aggravated DUI case. Where the case may go from here and what driver's attorney saysĬonway said the incident was a tragic accident where a “wonderful young man lost his life.” She said her office remains in touch with Hoffman’s family, keeping them apprised. The trooper noted Gabapentin is recommended to be taken with food and people should avoid drinking alcohol in combination with it. Lazos noted in his report he had experience in investigating DUI cases when Gabapentin was involved and was aware of how it can affect a person's ability to drive. Torrens of the State Police CAR unit, “Sargent stated to Trooper Lazos that she had been driving and had begun feeling dizzy and stated that she must have blacked out prior to crashing into the jeep." Previous story: Police: Eliot woman charged in fatal I-95 crash 'blacked out' while on painkillersĪccording to a police affidavit filed by Trooper Eric M. They reported during the incident they observed that Sargent "had been slumped over and facing down towards the center of the vehicle and appeared to be passed out."
Sargent had legal prescriptions for both pharmaceuticals, according to the police affidavit.Īccording to the police affidavit, the driver and two passengers of the Toyota Sienna, who were uninjured in the crash, told police Sargent struck the passenger side of their car, before crossing the center median and striking the jeep. Entresto is used to treat certain types of heart failure. Gabapentin is a drug commonly prescribed for epilepsy or nerve pain and can cause dizziness and drowsiness that may affect one's ability to drive or operate machinery. The arrest complaint specified, the charge included driving “while under the influence of an intoxicating liquor or any drug or any other chemical substance, natural or synthetic or any combination thereof which impairs a person's ability to drive."
Sargent was arrested while in the hospital on July 6 and charged with aggravated driving under the influence with serious injury, a Class B felony. Original reporting: Eliot woman charged with DUI after one killed, 4 hurt in I-95 crash in Seabrook She also said the night before she drank three glasses of wine and took a THC gummy. Joseph Hofmann, the driver of the Jeep, and passenger Matthew Santangelo, 29, both of Colonia, New Jersey, and passenger Jamerson Tisch, 27, of Keyport, New Jersey, were treated for minor injuries and released.Īccording to the police affidavit, while being treated at Portsmouth Hospital for injuries the day of the accident, Sargent allegedly told State Trooper Petros Lazos she had taken the prescribed medication Gabapentin and Entresto that morning. The accident resulted in the death of 27-year-old Michael Hofmann, of Colonia, New Jersey, who was thrown from the Jeep. After sideswiping a 2019 Toyota Sienna in the lane beside her, Sargent’s car crossed the grassy median and went into southbound I-95 traffic, striking a 2016 Jeep Wrangler. These types of investigations are very time consuming.” What happened on day of crash and what driver told policeĪccording to police reports, around noon on July 6, 2021, Sargent was driving a 2020 white Subaru Outback north on I-95. We’re still working with the (State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit) officers we’re still accumulating the results of scientific testing. “We’re just not there yet, but we’re still investigating. “By law, we have to indict within 90 days of arrest,” Conway said.