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Wrong-way driver on I-79 charged with DUI

A wrong-way driver on I-79 in Cranberry Township is facing charges of driving under the influence following a Jan. 18 two-vehicle crash.

Michele L. Dannenmueller, 41, of Zelienople, was charged Feb. 24 by state police with two misdemeanor DUI counts and three summary traffic offenses following the Jan. 18 incident.

Police said they were dispatched around 10:30 p.m. Jan. 18 for a two-vehicle crash near the 78.8 mile marker on I-79 northbound. Police had received multiple calls about a one-way driver in the area before the crash.

Police later found Dannenmueller had a blood alcohol content of 0.346% after the crash. The legal limit in Pennsylvania is 0.08%.

Police found Dannenmueller was heading south in the northbound lanes in a Jeep Wrangler when she struck the Volkswagen sedan of Ahmed S. El Daour, 23, of Oakdale, according to a news release from Feb. 2.

Both drivers sustained suspected minor injuries, but only Dannenmueller was taken to UPMC Passavant Hospital.

Dannenmueller’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. April 10 before District Judge Kevin Flaherty.

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