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Kristen Leigh Gantz of Lititz crashed a black Honda Pilot into a tree along East Oregon Road, Manheim Township around 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 12, according to Officer William R. McHale IV in the affidavit of probable cause obtained by Daily Voice.
Gantz crashed in such a way that she "could only be freed by mechanical means," as stated in the affidavit. In the meantime, her 16-year-old son, who was in the passenger seat was taken to an area hospital for a back injury.
"Once freed, Gantz admitted to drinking alcoholic beverages a few hours earlier," as stated in the police release. It was also noted by police in both the release and court documents that she reeked of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes, and slurred speech.
She "admitted to taking Clonazepam and Amphetamine before the crash," police stated in the release.
The criminal complaint was filed at the end of January and she was arrested warrant on Jan. 31, just 11 days after her birthday, court records show.
She was charged with the following as detailed in her court docket: Felony Endangering Welfare of Children, Misdemeanor DUI-Controlled Substance, DUI-High Rate of Alcohol, Roadways Laned for Traffic Arrest.
She was released from the Lancaster County Prison on $10,000 bail as set by Judge Joshua R. Keller.
Her preliminary hearing has been scheduled before Judge Courtney M. Monson at 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 22.
Typically this is where a Daily Voice story would end, but Gantz's case isn't typical. The exact reason she ended up with drugs and alcohol in her system that night is unknown, but at Daily Voice, we feel it is important for our readers to have a full picture of a situation. Which is why you should know about Gantz's nursing career.
She was a member of the US Military who went on to work in a neonatal intensive care unit for ten years before switching to nursing in the mental health field "to have a more conducive schedule for her children," according to a GoFundMe launched for her. Gantz didn't have the easiest go of things in the mental health industry, being "brutally assaulted by a patient and has been out of work since May 2021," the fund created in 2022 noted.
The organizer Sarah Pfeiff wrote:
"Kristen is now without a job, health care, medication, post-op care and even her surgery which she is undergoing at the moment. She is a single mom and has not been able to work since her brain injury last year. "
Amazingly in Feb. 2022, she reportedly made a full recovery according to an update on the fundraising campaign page.
What exactly that recovery looked like is not clear, but as Preiff put it, "unfortunately, due to a broken system" Gantz ended up in a difficult situation and we don't know how that continued to affect her life over the nearly two years since her recovery.
Gantz is "Presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law," the Manheim Township Police Department reminds the public.
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