Monroeville police seek Derry woman facing hit-and-run, drug charges

Monroeville police are looking for a Derry woman who skipped court hearings after a 2023 drug arrest.

Leann M. Wechtenhiser was taken into custody after a November 2023 crash near the U-Haul store on Route 22 in Monroeville.

Police responded to a call for a rear-end crash, and discovered that one of the drivers fled the scene when asked for her car insurance information. The other driver provided police with a photo of the woman’s license plate, which was picked up by a license plate reader camera about an hour later, headed northbound on Route 48, according to court records.

A Monroeville officer attempted a traffic stop along Route 22 just east of Northern Pike, but the driver did not respond. The officer pulled in front of the driver, but she continued to swerve around him multiple times before finally stopping, according to a criminal complaint.

In speaking with police, she admitted to her part in the crash and leaving the scene. Wechtenhiser told police she did not have car insurance and was on her way to buy drugs, according to an affidavit in the case.

Police called medics who evaluated Wechtenhiser, who gave police permission to search her car. They found drug paraphernalia and 19 suspected bags of heroin.

She was charged with drug possession, fleeing or eluding police, causing an accident involving damage and related traffic violations. She was initially deemed a danger to the community and denied bond by Judge Eugene Ricciardi, but a few days later, that was modified to a nonmonetary bond in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.

Subsequently, Wechtenhiser did not show up for an August 2024 preliminary hearing, nor for a second hearing scheduled for the same month on drug charges filed in Westmoreland County.

Anyone with information is asked to call Monroeville police at 412-856-1111 or submit a tip through CrimeWatchPA.com.