County Medical Investigator Still on Road After Two DUIs

A medical investigator with the Montgomery County Coroner's Office continues to drive a county vehicle despite two DUI arrests in the last 19 months.

Official police crash reports obtained by Patch indicate that Rachel Rymann, 33, was charged with DUI and careless driving following a crash in Lansdale on Nov. 10 in which her 2001 Chrysler Sebring damaged three parked vehicles on East Main Street in the borough. Rymann's blood alcohol level (BAC) was tested at 0.32 percent, four times the state's legal limit of 0.08, according to the police report.

That incident followed a May 2010 arrest in North Wales, in which Rymann struck a parked vehicle on East Walnut Street with her 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse. Rymann's BAC at the time of that crash was tested at 0.24 percent, three times the legal limit. She was charged with DUI.

Court records indicate that following the 2010 incident, Rymann accepted admission to the state's Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program, which allows first-time DUI offenders to avoid a conviction and a lengthy license suspension by successfully completing a probationary period while participating in treatment and rehabilitative programs. Failing to successfully complete the program results in the original charges being reinstated.

Without ARD, a first-time conviction of DUI with BAC of 0.16 percent or higher carries a mandatory three day to six month prison sentence, along with a year-long license suspension and fines ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, according to Pennsylvania law.

A second conviction of DUI with a BAC of 0.16 percent or higher carries a mandatory 90 days to five years in prison, an 18-month license suspension and fines ranging from $1,500 to $10,000.

Reached for comment by telephone Monday, Montgomery County Coroner Walter Hofman declined to comment for this article.

"I can't discuss employee matters with [the media]," Hofman said.

It is not clear whether the coroner's office was aware of Rymann's most recent DUI prior to being contacted by Patch.

Patch has additionally learned that the automobile liability insurance information that Rymann provided to Lansdale Police on Nov. 10 was for a policy that had lapsed more than a year earlier. A representative with Nationwide, listed on the Nov. 10 accident report as Rymann's insurance carrier, verified Monday that Rymann's policy was cancelled on Oct. 26, 2010.

It is not known whether Rymann, who provided police with a home address in North Wales at the time of the Nov. 10 crash, has been covered by any other insurance carrier while operating personal or county-owned vehicles.

Rymann's 2001 Chrysler Sebring and a 2003 Toyota Camry that had been parked on the street both sustained heavy damage and had to be towed from the scene.  Two other vehicles—a 1999 Dodge Ram and a 2010 Dodge Journey—sustained minor damage as a result of the crash.

On Dec. 1, three weeks after her Lansdale DUI arrest, Patch observed Rymann operating a red Chevrolet SUV owned by the Montgomery County Coroner's office.

A source with knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Patch that Rymann was temporarily assigned to desk duty following the 2010 DUI incident.

Attempts to reach Rymann for comment were unsuccessful.