Judge Denies Bail To Driver In Baltimore Beltway Crash That Killed 6

BALTIMORE, MD — A judge on Thursday denied bail to one of the drivers indicted earlier this week for her role in a March crash on the Baltimore Beltway that killed six highway workers, according to a report.

Lisa Adrienne Lea, 54, of Randallstown, had marijuana and five prescription medications in her system, prosecutors said on Thursday, according to a Baltimore Banner report. Prosecutors also said she was traveling at a speed of 121 mph and weaving in and out of traffic shortly before the collision.

“The damage that she caused in this scene is unimaginable,” Kelly said, according to the Banner.

District Judge Kathleen C. Murphy later ordered Lea to be held without bail because she presented a flight risk and was a danger to public safety.

On March 22, Lea was driving a 2017 Acura on the I-695 inner loop near Interstate 70 when she attempted to change lanes, according to police. As she did, police said her vehicle hit the front corner panel of a Volkswagen driven by Melachi Brown, 20, of Baltimore. The impact caused Lea to lose control of the car before crashing into the work zone, police said.

According to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Acura passed through an opening in the concrete barriers separating the work zone from the highway travel lanes. As the car traveled through the work zone, it struck miscellaneous construction materials and the workers, overturning before it came to a stop.

Emergency personnel pronounced six workers dead on the scene, police said.

A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board said speed likely contributed to the crash. The posted speed limit in the work area was 55 mph, the report said.

Lea was taken into custody Wednesday, state police said in a news release. On Tuesday, Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger indicted her on 28 counts, including a charge claiming she was driving while under the influence of drugs.

Brown, the driver of the Volkswagen, was arrested by Maryland State Police on Monday. He faces 28 charges, including six counts of felony negligent manslaughter by vehicle and six counts of death of a vulnerable person, according to police.