A 58-year-old New Jersey woman, who was behind the wheel when her two grandchildren were fatally injured in a crash Sept. 14, 2016, on Interstate 78 East in Lower Saucon Township, pleaded no contest Monday morning to two of 20 charges she faced in web-based hearing.
Nadine Walton, of Newark, will serve her time on house arrest due to her injuries, according to an agreement announced between Northampton County First Assistant District Attorney Richard Pepper and defense attorney Philp Lauer.
The no contest plea means Walton doesn’t plead guilty, but it is treated as a guilty plea for sentencing purposes. She was then sentenced to 12 months minus two days to 24 months minus a day in custody, President Judge Michael J. Koury Jr. ruled. Pepper and Lauer had previously agreed to a sentencing recommendation that under different circumstances would have sent Walton to the county rather than state prison.
She faced up to 10 years in jail and a $25,000 fine on each charge, but with her lack of criminal record, she in actuality was only at risk for up to 32 months in prison, prior to the plea deal, Koury said.
The sentence is followed by 10 years of probation, Koury said. If violated, Walton could be jailed up to 20 years, Koury told her.
Lauer said Walton has no memory of the crash and suffered head injuries in the wreck that left her in a coma. She also had spinal and rib fractures, her attorney said. But even though she has no recollection of the crash, she accepts the responsibility for the deaths of her grandchildren, Lauer said.
Stefany Stephens, the mother of the two children and who was in the car, spoke Monday to Walton’s ongoing health challenges and said Walton has a lot of emotional guilt and stress.
“She’s not 100 percent what she once was physically or emotionally,” Stephens said.
Walton, when asked several questions by the judge who was trying to confirm she read and agreed with the deal, gave several one-word answers that didn’t call anything into question.
Lauer said a civil proceeding related to the crash is ongoing.
Walton was driving at 12:56 a.m. in the left lane when she went off the left side of the highway, Pennsylvania State Police said at the time. A 5-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl were in the 2011 Nissan Versa along with Stephens, who was 31 at the time, police said.
The car swerved back across the highway, as Walton attempted to correct, and hit a guard rail along the highway’s right shoulder, police said. A 2014 Kia Forte, driven in the left lane by David B. Getz Jr., 26, of Easton, then hit the car, as did a 1996 Dodge Caravan driven by Michael Gura, 49, of Warren, New Jersey, police said. Both of those drivers were injured, police said.
All three passengers were thrown from the car, police said. The boy, Ravon Xavier Robinson, died at the scene. His sister Brielle Javlyn Robinson died from her injuries Sept. 16 at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township. The children were in safety seats, police said.
Police report they found several containers of alcohol, both full and empty in the car, a broken container lying on the highway outside of the car and a marijuana blunt on the driver's side floor.
A search of Walton's purse turned up marijuana in a bag along with a suspected marijuana blunt and 42 Oxycodone pills, court records state.
Pepper said during Monday’s hearing that Walton was impaired at the time of the crash from either using marijuana or lack of sleep. A blood test showed the presence of marijuana, Pepper said.
Eighteen charges, including homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, were withdrawn.
The online hearing was delayed for a time as Lauer and his client went from his office to a conference room in the nearby courthouse to ensure video would work.
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Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com.
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