Drunk Driver In Montco Death Was Involved In Past Fatal Crash: DA

LOWER PROVIDENCE, PA — The man who Montgomery County prosecutors say was driving drunk in Lower Providence when he struck and killed another driver last month was reportedly involved in another fatal accident last year in the Lehigh Valley.

Devon Lindeman, 23, of Allentown, was recently charged by Montgomery County authorities in connection with the death of 63-year-old Paul Conaway.

Prosecutors maintain that Lindeman was driving drunk and speeding when he was heading along South Park Avenue in Lower Providence Township on Sept. 18 around 11:45 p.m. and collided with Conaway’s vehicle.

The accident took the life of Conaway and injured two passengers in Conaway’s vehicle.

Lindeman faces charges of homicide by vehicle DUI, aggravated assault DUI and other violations in the Montgomery County case.

A news report from last year shows that Lindeman was also connected to the deaths of two individuals during an accident in the Lehigh Valley.

According to a July 2020 report from the Lehigh Valley Press, Lindeman, then 22 years old, was driving a Freightliner van on June 21, 2020, in North Whitehall Township when he struck a motorcycle head-on.

The accident claimed the lives of Lower Macungie Township couple Robert J. O’Rourke, 55, the driver of the motorcycle, and his wife and passenger, Mary C. O’Rourke, 54.

According to the Lehigh Valley Press article, Lindeman was merely issued a traffic citation in connection with that crash.

Patch reached out to the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office to obtain additional information and spokesperson Pamela Lehman said that that crash remains under investigation, and that the public would be given more details if, and when, a news release were to be issued in that matter.

The Lehigh Valley Press article said that Lindeman had been negotiating a left curve along Route 145 near Clearview Road in North Whitehall Township when his van collided with the motorcycle.

Meanwhile, back in Montgomery County, Conaway’s family took to social media to decry the fact that Lindeman was still on the road at the time he caused the fatal accident in Lower Providence given his apparent bad driving history.

“Paul Conaway was my brother & your lack of control took his life away from us so violently,” Conaway's sister, Paula Chapman, commented on a Lower Providence Police Department Facebook post announcing Lindeman’s recent arrest. “Obviously you could care less since you intentionally sped up before impact. I am truly shocked that you took the life of two others & walked away without much of a thought. Sad, so sad for the victims!”

Patch reached out to Chapman who said her family was “so frustrated that this person has been allowed to continue taking lives with little recourse.”

Chapman said Conaway’s sons are “really hurting,” and having a difficult time coping with the loss of their father.

A review of state court dockets did not return any criminal records for Lindeman in the Lehigh Valley.

In the Montgomery County case, Lindeman is being charged with six felonies, six misdemeanors and a whole host of summary offenses.

The record shows that Lindeman is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing on Oct. 26 before Magisterial District Judge Cathleen Rebar.