Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin announced Dec. 11 that a Hamburg man was charged in the death of a motorcycle passenger.
Shawn Balthaser, 49, is charged with one count each of Involuntary Manslaughter, a misdemeanor of the first degree; Homicide by Vehicle While Driving under the Influence, a felony of the second degree; Homicide by Vehicle, a felony of the third degree; and two counts of Driving While under the Influence of Alcohol or a Controlled Substance, a misdemeanor of the first degree.
In addition, the defendant is charged with multiple summary offenses: one count each of Reckless Driving and Driving on Roadways Laned for Traffic, and two counts of Classes of Licenses. The two counts of the latter charge are a result of Balthaser’s alleged failure to possess a license to drive a motorcycle, as well as the fact that he did have a learner’s permit for motorcycles, which forbids an individual to drive after sunset and with a passenger.
Balthaser will be arraigned through Central Booking by the duty Magisterial District Judge.
According to the District Attorney’s report, on July 31, 2017 at 11:23 p.m., Upper Macungie Township police officers were dispatched to the intersection of Route 222 and Mill Creek Road in Upper Macungie Township for a serious motor vehicle crash. At the scene, officers determined that the crash involved a single vehicle, a motorcycle, which was carrying two riders. Officers spoke with the defendant at the scene. He informed the officers that he had been the operator of the motorcycle. The passenger of the motorcycle, Yvonne Rohrbach, 52, also of Hamburg, sustained fatal injuries as a result of the collision and was pronounced dead at the scene. Rohrbach and the defendant were in a relationship at the time.
Investigation at the scene of the crash indicated that Balthaser had failed to negotiate a left curve in the roadway and drove across two concrete islands located at the end of Mill Creek Road. The investigation also revealed that the victim had fallen off the motorcycle as it went over the second island and was dragged a short distance until she eventually struck a sign post.
As a result of the crash scene and subsequent investigation, it is alleged that Shawn Balthaser caused the death of Yvonne Rohrbach while driving under the influence and acting recklessly or with gross negligence.
