MEDIA RELEASE:

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has charged a Hagerstown man in connection to a fatal motor vehicle collision.

On March 10, 2017 at approximately 2:00 AM, Deputies responded to the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Showalter Road for a pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle.

David William Garlitz, 48, was traveling North on Pennsylvania Avenue in his Chevrolet Impala, when the vehicle struck a male pedestrian. The pedestrian was crossing Pennsylvania Avenue from the West side of the roadway.

Deputies performed CPR on the victim until EMS arrived on scene, the victim was transported to Meritus Medical Center, where he was later pronounced deceased.

The deceased was later identified as Stacey Ray Higgins, 47, of Hagerstown.

While speaking with Garlitz Deputies detected the odor of alcohol coming from his breath. Garlitz preformed Standardized Field Sobriety Tests and did not pass the tests to the satisfaction of the administering Deputy. Garlitz was placed under arrest and transported to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Garlitz submitted to a breath test for alcohol concentration. Garlitz breath was found to contain an alcohol concentration of .19 grams of alcohol.

Garlitz has been charged with Negligent Automobile Homicide- Under the Influence, Homicide Motor Vehicle-Impaired by Alcohol and 6 motor vehicle citations.

Garlitz was released from the Washington County Detention Center on a $30,000 unsecured bond.

The investigation into the cause of the accident is on-going.