A 50-year-old New Holland woman is facing several charges after a drinking binge during which she struck an elderly man with her car and consumed alcohol with teenage boys, police said.
New Holland police charged Pauline Zwally on Tuesday with four misdemeanors and a summary offense in relation to the weekend "binge," according to a police affidavit.
Zwally told police she had been drinking for two days when she drove two 14-year-old boys to a restaurant and bought them alcohol.
While leaving the parking lot, Zwally struck 80-year-old Charles Donahue with her Chevrolet Cavalier, police said. The impact knocked Donahue to the ground, and Zwally drove away, according to police.
New Holland police officers Troy Deshong and Jed Custer found Zwally about 15 minutes later at her Brimmer Avenue apartment.
Blood tests performed at Ephrata Community Hospital showed Zwally's blood-alcohol level was between .274 percent and .336 percent at the time of the collision.
The 5-foot-4-inch, 75-pound Zwally admitted the offenses to police, according to court documents.
She was charged with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident involving injury, endangering the welfare of children and providing alcohol to minors.
A police affidavit filed by Deshong outlines the case this way:Zwally told police that on Saturday afternoon the two boys came to her apartment and asked her to buy them beer. Zwally agreed, and she drank a half gallon of vodka before driving the boys to the West Main Street restaurant.
Witnesses at the restaurant told police that Zwally bought three 40-ounce alcoholic beverages. She then drove out of the parking lot, with the boys inside the car.
Witnesses saw the car strike Donahue, causing him to "tumble and fall" onto the street. The pedestrian had visible injuries on his legs and arms.
"He was injured; he just refused treatment," New Holland Detective Jonathan Heisse said.
Zwally continued to drive, but one witness wrote down her car's license plate numbers.
About 15 minutes later, Custer spotted the Chevy parked behind Zwally's apartment. Officers entered the apartment and saw the two boys and Zwally seated in the living room.
The 40-ounce bottles were nearby on the floor.
Zwally smelled of alcohol and almost fell over several times while police questioned her, they said.
When police asked what happened outside the restaurant, she said, "I (expletive) up."
She admitted buying the alcohol and striking the man with her car, police said.
At one point during the police interview, Zwally started laughing and repeatedly said, "I'm so (expletive) up," police said.
The boys admitted to drinking some of the alcohol. They were charged with underage drinking.
Zwally will be summoned to court to face the charges.
E-mail: bhambright@lnpnews.com



