LEONARDTOWN, MD (October 30, 2024) – Ashley Nicole Nolan, 28, of Lexington Park, Maryland, was arrested on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, following an 18-count indictment by the Circuit Court charging her with negligent manslaughter and other offenses related to a fatal March car crash in which a juvenile passenger died.

 

The indictment lists the following charges:

• one charge of negligent manslaughter by auto/boat/other vehicle,
• two counts of negligent homicide as a result of operating an auto/boat while under the influence,
• one count of homicide as a result of negligent operation of a motor vehicle/vessel while impaired by alcohol,
• five counts of life-threatening injury while operating a motor vehicle/boat while under the influence,
• one count life-threatening injury while driving/operating a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol,
• two counts of causing a life-threatening injury as a result of operating a motor vehicle/boat in a criminally negligent manner,
• one count of driving/attempting to drive a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol,
• one count of driving/attempting to drive a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol per se,
• three counts of driving/attempting to drive a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol while transporting a minor,
• one count of driving/attempting to drive a vehicle while impaired by alcohol.

 

On March 16, 2024, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office patrol units responded to a single-vehicle crash on Chingville Road in Leonardtown, MD. The preliminary investigation by the SMCSO Collision Reconstruction Unit determined that the vehicle left the road after failing to negotiate a turn, overturning multiple times before striking a tree. Three juvenile occupants were found improperly restrained, with two ejected and transported to trauma centers with life-threatening injuries, while a third was pronounced deceased at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital.

 

After her arrest, Nolan was transported to the Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Leonardtown, where she is awaiting a bond hearing.

 

 

Original News Release:

St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Investigating Fatal Accident

LEONARDTOWN, MD (March 16, 2024)—At approximately 1:44 a.m. on Saturday, March 16, 2024, patrol units from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office (SMCSO) were dispatched to a motor vehicle crash near the intersection of Point Lookout Road and Chingville Road in Leonardtown, MD. Units arrived on the scene to find a single 2008 Honda Odyssey upside down on Chingville Road.

 

The SMCSO Collision Reconstruction Unit responded to the scene, and a preliminary investigation revealed that the vehicle, operated by Ashley Nicole Nolan, 27, of Leonardtown, MD, was traveling north on Point Lookout Road when the driver failed to negotiate a turn. The car left the road and overturned several times before striking a tree.

 

Three juvenile occupants were found not to be correctly restrained; two juveniles were ejected from the vehicle and were transported to area trauma centers with life-threatening injuries. A third juvenile was transported to MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital and was later pronounced deceased.

 

Nolan, the driver, sustained minor injuries and was transported to MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital.

 

Currently, alcohol and speed are considered contributing factors in the crash.

 

In response to the incident, Sheriff Steve Hall said, “No day should ever begin with news like this. It is both difficult to process and to believe. Based on the preliminary investigative information, decisions were made that have caused the loss of the innocent and marred the lives of families in our communities forever.”

 

Anyone who may have witnessed the collision or any events leading up to it is asked to call Corporal Dale Reppel at Dale.Reppel.stmaryscountymd.gov or 240-496-6694.