Police: Scranton man had fentanyl, cocaine THC in blood after crash

Joseph Kohut, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·1 min read

Jul. 29—A Scranton man was high on three different drugs in February when he crashed head-on into another man's car, city police said.

Robert Dean, 41, 3211 Oak Ave., is charged with driving under the influence, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, recklessly endangering another person and various traffic citations, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday by Officer Larry Greenfield.

At about 1 p.m. Feb. 12, Greenfield arrived in the 800 block of Cedar Avenue to investigate a reported crash.

Dean's Acura RDX had collided head-on with another vehicle driven by Khara Dhungel.Dhungel needed stitches on his knee, fractured his ribs and a finger, and tore his rotator cuff, police said.

Dean told police he did not know how the accident happened and could not remember where he was coming from or where he was going. He admitted he used heroin in the past but said he had not used any illegal drugs for the last eight months, police said.

Greenfield noted Dean's pupils were "very constricted" and his "hyper" behavior did not seem normal.

An ambulance took Dean to Geisinger Community Medical Center for treatment. He agreed to a blood test and Greenfield requested a drug screen.

Police said a report of his bloodwork showed Dean was under the influence of fentanyl, cocaine and THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana.

Dean was released on nominal bail and scheduled for a preliminary hearing Thursday.

Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9100, x5187; @jkohutTT on Twitter.