Muncy man sentenced for dragging woman with car
A Muncy man was sentenced Monday to three to six years in state prison after pleading guilty to dragging a woman along Route 443 in Mahoning Township while driving under the influence of methamphetamine.
Tiler Martin Wood, 29, appeared before Carbon County Judge Joseph J. Matika for sentencing after entering a negotiated guilty plea June 22 to aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence, a second-degree felony.
Matika also sentenced Wood on a charge of DUI — controlled substance, second offense, which was merged with the assault sentence.
Six other charges, including robbery of a motor vehicle and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
As conditions of the sentence, Wood must submit to a blood sample at the Carbon County Correctional Facility and undergo a comprehensive drug and alcohol evaluation, following all recommended treatment.
The charges stemmed from a Sept. 22, 2024, incident.
According to court documents, Breonna Leiby was driving a Subaru Forester owned by Betty Wensel, who had given Leiby permission to use the vehicle. Leiby allowed Wood to drive, but the two argued over his driving and he pulled over on the shoulder of Route 443.
After Leiby told Wood that he could not drive anymore, she stepped out of the vehicle.
While her hand was still on the passenger door handle, Wood accelerated. Leiby was dragged by the moving vehicle, sustaining scrapes on her legs, arms and back, court documents said.
Emergency medical personnel treated her at the scene.
Witnesses told police they saw Leiby being dragged. Wood drove away after she fell.
When state police contacted Wensel, she said that she had given only Leiby permission to use the vehicle and did not know Wood. She reported the car stolen, court documents said.
Leiby tracked her iPhone, which remained inside the vehicle, and troopers from the Wilkes-Barre barracks — who had also received several calls about an erratic driver — were dispatched. The vehicle was located in Wilkes-Barre Township, and Wood was taken into custody near it.
Wood told police he was “high on meth” and admitted he had taken the vehicle, according to court documents. He had glassy, bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils and refused to submit to a blood test, police said.