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Slatington man charged in fatal crash

A Slatington man has been charged with homicide by vehicle in connection with a fatal crash in Washington Township in February.

Joshua Douglas Moser, 25, of 1513 Fernwood Road, was charged Tuesday with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence; homicide by vehicle; two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol or controlled substance; involuntary manslaughter; two counts of recklessly endangering another person; and three summary offenses that include driving on roadway laned for traffic, driving at safe speed; and reckless driving.Moser was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Rod Beck. Bail was set at $200,000, unsecured.According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Trooper Michael Hodgskin of the Pennsylvania State Police:At 11:55 p.m. Feb. 19, Hodgskin was dispatched to Rextown Road in Washington Township.Hodgskin discovered a 2000 BMW 323i had crashed.The car was on its roof and had sustained heavy body and mechanical damage. The front of the vehicle was on the lawn of 8756 Rextown Road, and the rear was partially blocking the southbound lane. There was a trail of debris several hundred feet in length.Included in the wreckage was an empty bottle of vodka.Evidence indicated that the BMW had been traveling northbound when its driver attempted to negotiate a right curve and impacted an embankment and tree stump.The vehicle overturned, rolling over as it re-entered the roadway, and continued traveling northbound, where it eventually came to a stop at the Rextown Rd. property.Two men receiving medical treatment by EMS and fire personnel already on the scene.One of the men, Clark Knoblauch, 25, told the trooper that he had been a passenger in the automobile, and the other male, later identified as Moser, was the driver.PennDOT checks confirmed that the BMW was registered to Moser.Knoblauch said there had been another passenger in the car.The passenger, a female, was in the back of the ambulance receiving medical care. Medical personnel had found her a few feet off the roadway, lying face down on the grass and unresponsive. She was transported to St. Luke’s Fountain Hill by helicopter, where she was pronounced dead at 1:28 a.m.The victim was identified as Nicole Marie Gruber, 24, of Slatington.Knoblauch told Hodgskin that the three had been at the Shack, a Slatington bar, prior to the accident.Hodgskin reported that Moser had bloodshot, watery, glassy eyes at the scene of the collision.Knoblauch and Moser were conveyed to Lehigh Valley Cedar Crest for further treatment of their injuries.While in the emergency room at Lehigh Valley, a blood sample was taken from Moser, revealing a blood alcohol level of 0.15 percent.Moser is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing at 11:30 a.m. Aug. 2 before Beck.

Nicole Marie Gruber, 24, of Slatington, was ejected from the vehicle, having been found laying on a grass area on the opposite side of the roadway from where the car came to rest on its roof. Gruber was transported to St. Luke's Fountain Hill by helicopter, where she was pronounced dead. COPYRIGHT LARRY NEFF/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS