A Lehighton man has been charged after a two-car crash on Sept. 14 that resulted in the death of a Luzerne County man in Kidder Township.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by patrolman Christopher Ritter of the Kidder Township Police Department in the case against Michael Hotton:

At 4:31 p.m. on that day Ritter was dispatched to Route 940 near Francis E. Walter Dam Road for a two-vehicle head-on crash with injuries and entrapment.

A white Chevrolet Blazer driven by Hotton, 60, which was in the eastbound lane facing southeast, and had severe left front damage.

Hotton was semiconscious and able to talk with responders, however, he had suffered severe injuries and was entrapped in the vehicle.

A silver Suzuki Sx4 being driven by Raymond Dugan, 79, of White Haven, and was off the south side of the roadway facing north, and also had severe left front damage.

Dugan was unconscious, had suffered severe injuries and was entrapped in the vehicle.

Both drivers were extricated by rescue personnel and transported to Geisinger-Wyoming Valley Hospital in Wilkes-Barre for treatment. Dugan was pronounced dead at 5:50 p.m.

At 8:03 p.m. that night, Ritter arrived at Geisinger-Wyoming Valley Hospital where he spoke with Hotton about the crash and the event before it, at which time he said he couldn’t remember what happened.

Hotton said he was on his way home but did not remember where, and admitted to consuming two alcoholic “slushy” drinks in the morning and stated he had stopped drinking around noon, and that he is a user of marijuana but had not smoked in two weeks.

Ritter noted Hotton had slurred speech, his pupils seemed unusually constricted, and he frequently ground his teeth and moved his jaw side to side.

Ritter concluded that Hotton has likely been under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance at the time of the crash.

Search warrants were obtained and served on Geisinger-Wyoming Valley Hospital seeking blood specimens from Hotton, and medical records pertaining to his treatment beginning on Sept. 14. According to court records, his blood alcohol concentration was 0.196%.

On Sept. 28, police examined the scene. The air bag Control Module from Hotton’s Chevrolet Blazer was examined, which determined that at the time of the crash, Hotton’s vehicle was traveling at around 52 mph. There was no recorded attempt by Hotton to use brakes to avoid the crash.

On Oct. 9, Kidder Township Police interviewed Hotton who said he had gone to a park near his home in Carbondale sometime around lunchtime where he drank an alcoholic “Slushy” drink he purchased at a nearby convenience store.

Hotton said he returned home and changed clothes, then began to drive to Lehighton to see his girlfriend, and that he “probably stopped and got a slushy for the ride to Lehighton.”

Hotton faces charges of homicide by vehicle while DUI; aggravated assault while DUI; involuntary manslaughter; and other related charges.

Hotton is currently free in lieu of $100,000 unsecured bail, and scheduled to have a preliminary hearing Nov. 1 before District Judge Joseph D. Homanko Sr. of Weatherly.