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Pair Ejected In Fatal Head-On Crash Along I-81: PA State Police

A 51-year-old woman has died a week after being ejected during a head-on crash along Interstate 81, Pennsylvania State Police and the Dauphin County Coroner confirmed to Daily Voice on Tuesday, April 9. 

Sharon Michelle Bentler

Sharon Michelle Bentler

Photo Credit: Pennsylvania State Police Megan's Law Sex Offender Registry

Sharon Michelle Bentler, originally of Berwick and most recently of Harrisburg (according to her social media and court records), passed away at Penn State Hershey Medical Center on Sunday due to multiple traumatic injuries she sustained in a crash on I-81 on April 3 Dauphin County press secretary Diane McNaughton told Daily Voice. 

Her death was ruled accidental by the county coroner, according to McNaughton. 

Bentler was the passenger in a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado driven by James Soto, 54 of Harrisburg, according to a release by the Pennsylvania State Police. 

For an unknown reason, he exited the right lane and veered into the grass while heading north on I-81 near mile marker 78.5 in East Hanover Township at 2:57 p.m., PSP Trooper Dustin Chubb detailed in the release. 

He drove up the embankment and struck a tree head-on, and then the Silverado rolled over twice — ejecting both Soto and Bentler, Chubb explained. 

Both Soto and Bentler were taken to Penn State Hershey Medical Center with suspected serious injuries. Soto's current condition was unavailable. 

Bentler was a 1992 graduate of Berwick High School, according to her social media. 

She previously made headlines when she pleaded guilty in a sexual assault case involving a 12-year-old boy in Williamsport. The convicted felon had completed her sentence for Aggravated Indecent Assault - Complainant Less Than 13 Years Old and Endangering Welfare of Children - Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense in 2022, court records show

She was a lifetime registered sex offender and had updated her profile for the state police's sexual offender registry on March 28. 

This was her last Megan's Law registry photo: 

Funeral and memorial service details have not been released. 

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