Adams County woman DUI during crash that injured kids takes plea

Updated, July 15:

Shanda Marie Rippeon pleaded guilty through a plea agreement to two counts of aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI and and DUI. Her other charges were withdrawn, according to online court documents.

She was sentenced one to two years in prison and 36 months probation.

Rippeon also must pay costs, fines and fees, documents state.

Previously reported, August 2018:

A Cumberland Township woman was allegedly driving under the influence when she crashed her car into a tree, injuring two children who were unrestrained in the back seat, according to police.

Shanda Marie Rippeon, 35, of the 1400 block of Chambersburg Road, told police she was driving home on Bullfrog Road in Freedom Township in September 2017 when she ran off the road, overcorrected and hit a tree, according to an affidavit filed with District Judge Mark Beauchat. 

A witness told police that after he heard a crash, he saw two small children in the car not wearing seat belts. He saw one child curled up on the floor, and the other laying across the seat, police wrote in the affidavit. 

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Rippeon told police that the children, who were both under 5, weren't wearing seat belts but she "knew they should have been." She also said she had taken two blood pressure medications and two anxiety medications, according to the affidavit. 

Medical records from Milton S. Hershey Medical Center showed multiple injuries to the children, including facial bone fractures and lung contusions. One sustained a fracture of the femur. 

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Rippeon was taken to John Hopkins Hospital, where blood was drawn. The sample tested showed a level of ethanol at 108 mg/dl. Pennsylvania State Police sent the results to the Cumberland County Lab, which found Rippeon's blood alcohol content to be between .086 and .102 percent, according to the affidavit. The legal limit for driving in Pennsylvania is .08 percent. 

Rippeon was charged with aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, endangering the welfare of children, DUI and various summary offenses. She has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 19, according to online court dockets. 

Rippeon's attorney, Steve Rice, had no comment.