PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A 35-year-old Pottstown woman is charged with giving alcohol to minors last summer, shortly before the teens were involved in a deadly car crash.
The four teenage boys were drinking beer at Kelsey Martin’s home on Aug. 10, 2020, according to the criminal complaint, shortly before the 5:30 a.m. crash in North Coventry Township that killed 18-year-old Louis Carbajal.
The driver, 18-year-old Connor Quinn, is awaiting trial in Chester County on charges of homicide by vehicle DUI. Police said his blood-alcohol level was .17, twice the legal limit.
As part of the investigation of the crash, police say they found out the teens had been drinking with Martin on her back deck. Court documents say one of them passed out and had to be helped to the car because he was so drunk.
Prosecutor Lauren Marvel said even though they were all 18, they were still too young to drink.
“Folks who are still teenagers, people who are under the age of 21 who are not able to legally drink might make really terrible decisions if they’re given alcohol,” she said. “When you’re an adult, you have the duty to make sure you are protecting the young people around you.”
Martin is charged with six counts of furnishing alcohol to minors, as two of the 18-year-olds told police that they drank at Martin’s home prior to the morning of the car crash.
The complaint says they knew her because she was the athletic trainer at Owen J. Roberts High School, where they had recently graduated.
Owen J. Roberts School District officials said Martin was immediately placed on leave in April when the district first learned of the investigation. They said there’s no reason to believe she gave alcohol to any current students, but they ask parents to call police if they have any additional information.