Drugged NJ driver who killed elderly woman gets prison

🔵 NJ woman gets prison for 2-car crash

🔵 78-year-old passenger killed on Mother’s Day

🔵 Convicted driver had fentanyl in her system

BRICK — A woman who had drugs including fentanyl in her system after a deadly head-on crash has been sentenced to five years in prison in Ocean County.

Ashley Watkins, of Eatontown, had pleaded guilty in October to vehicular homicide in connection with the Mother’s Day crash that killed 78-year-old Nancy Penrod, of Brick.

In addition to fentanyl, the 32-year-old Watkins was found to have diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and marijuana in her bloodstream at the time of the May 9, 2021 collision, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer.

Around 9:45 a.m., Brick police had responded to a crash at the intersection of Lanes Mill Road and Greenwood Loop.

Investigators said Watkins was driving a 2011 Toyota Camry when she crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a 2014 Dodge Caravan, being driven by 78-year-old Terry Penrod, with his wife as a passenger, police said.

Watkins would have to serve at least 85% of her sentence, or 51 months, before being eligible for parole.

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