Police: Driver high near school

School crossing guards may have prevented injury to students attempting to cross 17th Street last week when they stopped a car being driven by a woman who was experiencing what Altoona police believe was a heroin overdose.

Sheena Kay Weyandt, 24, of 118 E. Sixth Ave. or East Freedom, is charged with driving under the influence of a drug or a combination of drugs, accidents involving an unattended vehicle and careless driving.

Weyandt does not have a listed telephone number and could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The incident occurred between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. April 28, when students were going home for the day, police said.

The guards stopped Weyandt’s vehicle before she could enter a school crossing area at 17th Street and Fourth Avenue, arrest papers state. The area ‘‘was active and heavily populated with students,’’ according to the papers.

Most students who cross there attend Penn-Lincoln Elementary School, Altoona Area School District spokesman Thomas M. Bradley said.

He said school guards provide a valuable service on a daily basis.

‘‘Unfortunately, they encounter a number of drivers who are not extremely proficient. That makes their job extra difficult,’’ he said.

The crossing guard program is run by city police. Deputy Police Chief Robert W. Seymore complimented the guards, pointing out that they are aggressive in protecting students.

‘‘They do a good job,’’ he said.

Shortly before approaching the students, Weyandt’s vehicle struck a parked car at 11th Avenue and 13th Street. A motorist who witnessed the crash followed Weyandt.

After the guards stopped Weyandt, they noticed she was lethargic but refused to exit her vehicle.

Police were called, and they took her keys and placed her under arrest.

The officers reported that Weyandt’s pupils were dilated, her speech was slurred and she had difficulty holding up her head, court documents state.

Officers said they found a burnt spoon, used to heat heroin, on the seat of her vehicle.

A syringe was visible in her handbag, which also held several small blue plastic bags of suspected heroin.

Weyandt became unresponsive at the police station, and paramedics administered Narcan, a drug used to counter the effects of heroin. She then was taken to the hospital. She had fresh needle marks on her arm, police said.

At the time of her arrest, Weyandt was part of Blair County’s Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program, a nonjail program for drivers caught abusing alcohol or drugs.

Charges were filed before Magisterial District Judge Todd F. Kelly.

Weyandt was charged with several other offenses recently, court records state.

A charge of retail theft was filed against her in the office of Magisterial District Judge Steven D. Jackson April 13.

Other charges filed this week include theft and receiving stolen property Monday before Magisterial District Judge Jeffrey P. Auker and forgery, theft and receiving stolen property Tuesday before Magisterial District Judge Craig Ormsby.

Mirror Staff Writer Phil Ray is at 946-7468. Staff Writer Mark Leberfinger is at 946-7462.