Cops: Man Charged With Death Of Lower Makefield Woman, BAC Was Three Times Legal Limit

The man that police say drove the wrong way down Route 13 in Falls Township on the night of October 30 and struck two vehicles, killing a Lower Makefield woman, has been charged and arraigned.

Michael Ahearn, 22, of Lower Makefield, has been charged with one felony count of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence (DUI), one felony count of homicide by vehicle, one misdemeanor count of DUI, one misdemeanor count of DUI with high rate of alcohol, six misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person, and one misdemeanor count of involuntary manslaughter. In addition, Ahearn has been given tickets for reckless driving, driving at an unsafe speed, and not using his headlights.

Police say on the night of October 30, Ahearn crashed head-on into a vehicle driven by 23-year-old Kaitlin Abel of Lower Makefield. Abel, a graduate of Villa Joseph Marie High School and La Salle University, was killed in the crash when her vehicle was pushed into an embankment. Ahearn had to be freed from his damaged vehicle by firefighters at the scene. A third vehicle was involved, but according to officials, it’s driver did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

After a nearly four-month long investigation, police have reported Ahearn was operating his vehicle at nearly three times the PA legal limit of .08.

The deadly accident happened just two days after Ahearn waived his right to a preliminary hearing for a separate DUI incident with police back in September. Ahearn was charged with five misdemeanors in that case, including DUI with high rate of alcohol and use or possession of drug paraphernalia. He recently made a guilty plea in the case.

Ahearn was arraigned by Judge Jan Vislosky on Thursday in front of Abel’s friends and family and his lawyer. William Brennan, Ahearn’s lawyer in the case asked for Vislosky to grant a low cash bail or a high unsecured bail, noting Ahearn is a lifelong resident of the community and was backed by tremendous family support. Vislosky, however set Ahearn’s bail at 10 percent of $250,000. Ahearn will reside in Bucks County Prison until his preliminary hearing scheduled for April 7. It is not certain whether Ahearn and his lawyer will waive his rights to the hearing. If he chooses to do so, the case will be fast tracked to a trial in Doylestown.

One of Kaitlin Abel’s friends reached out to LevittownNow.com late Wednesday night and said that they were glad charges would be filed but it would not bring back their friend.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents