Doylestown Woman, 27, Admits To Drunk Driving In Fatal Hit-And-Run Crash

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — A 27-year-old Doylestown woman admitted Thursday to driving drunk and killing a Plumstead man in an August hit-and-run crash.

Charlotte Mary Kleckner appeared before Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley and pleaded guilty to accidents involving death or personal injury and drunk driving in the death of Delfino Colop-Alvarado. She was sentenced to three to 10 years in state prison on the first charge, and a concurrent sentence of three days to six months on the second charge.

Kleckner was driving on the 4700 block of Stump Road when she hit Colop-Alvarado, who was walking, and did not stop. Colop-Alvarado died at the scene, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.

Police received a 911 call at 12:21 a.m. on Aug. 28, but the investigation determined he was hit about an hour earlier. He had been wearing dark clothing but was clutching a white shopping bag, investigators said. An autopsy determined he died of a fractured skull, fractured neck, fractured pelvis, and fractured legs.

As police were investigating at the scene, they learned that the person who hit him was at a home on the 6000 block of High Meadow Drive in Pipersville.

Police arrived at the home about a mile from the crash scene, and found a gray 2010 Subaru Outback with heavy front-end damage to the front right side and windshield. Police saw Kleckner trying to leave the house through a back door. Officers approached her and, while speaking to her, smelled an odor of alcohol.

Kleckner refused field sobriety tests, but test results showed she had a blood-alcohol level of 0.195 percent two hours after the crash, according to the DA's office. The legal limit in Pennsylvania is a blood-alcohol content of .08.

Kleckner told police she originally assumed she struck a deer, but she looked for the deer and didn’t find one. She said she saw a white shopping bag on the lower right side of her windshield upon impact and thought that was strange.

When asked if she had anything to drink, she told police she had a beer or two, but that was at 9 p.m. She said after the crash she drove to a family member’s home, and that family member returned to the crash scene and found the victim, according to the DA's office. The family member then called police.

A crash reconstruction revealed that the victim was walking on the side of the roadway in a westbound direction when he was struck by Kleckner’s vehicle, according to a news release. He impacted the right front fender and windshield and was thrown approximately 49 feet. The DA's office said that Kleckner never stopped or called 911.

Before handing down the sentence, Finley heard victim impact statements from several people who knew Colop-Alvarado, including the owner of a Plumstead farm where he lived and worked as a groundskeeper for the past 15 years.

“We cannot bring back our friend of over 15 years but wish that the legal system will allow for one purpose: to provide for his family,” James Simkins, who owns Freedom Farm, wrote in an impact statement. “For everyone’s piece of mind, I would hope that the reckless behavior is recognized, and this life-changing event influences those that are being given a second chance to show their gratitude and remorse to Delfino’s family and well-being.”

A family who rented a farmhouse on the grounds expressed appreciation for his kindness.

“In a world that moves quickly, Delfino was committed to taking the time to do things right," they said. "He was committed to being honest, even when no one was around to know otherwise. He was committed to being good. He made the world a more beautiful place.”

This case was investigated by the Plumstead Township Police Department and was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Robert D. James.

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