A Morris Township woman has been sentenced for fatally hitting a mail carrier with a car in Greene County

A woman who repeatedly failed to take her prescription medication, leading to a medical emergency while driving when she hit a postal worker delivering mail on a Greene County road three years ago, was convicted Monday of causing her husband’s death.

Tina Marie Phillips, 49, of Morris Township, wiped away tears as Greene County President Judge Lou Daich read the verdict that found her guilty of vehicular homicide, aggravated assault and involuntary manslaughter after a two-day trial. this month

Phillips was on trial for fatally stabbing Chad Varner on Oct. 25, 2021, while he was delivering mail at 180 Andrews Road in Morris Township. Greene Regional Police said Phillips has diabetes and epilepsy, but was not taking her prescribed medication, which likely caused her to have a seizure minutes before the crash. Varner, 49, of Spraggs, was walking home with a package when Phillips veered far across the road and hit him with her car in the property’s front yard.

Testimony was heard on October 16 and 17, and Daich spent the past week and a half reviewing the evidence before handing down his guilty verdict, which included charges of vehicular homicide and aggravated assault.

In addition to the criminal charges, Daich also pleaded guilty to summary counts of Phillips, including reckless driving, careless driving, driving on the wrong side of the roadway, driving at a safe speed and property damage. He found her not guilty of one summary count of speeding by more than 30 mph.

After reading his verdict, Daich convened a brief sidebar in his chambers, prompting Phillips to leave the defense table to sit with her family in the courtroom’s seating gallery. While there, she was seen sobbing and burying her face in tissues as her family comforted her.

When Daich and the attorneys returned, the judge told Phillips she must undergo a mental health evaluation within three days, though he did not immediately set a sentencing date. Phillips then left the courtroom with her family and went to the county’s adult probation department for processing. The public defender’s office, which represented Phillips during the trial, declined to comment.

Varner’s family was also present at the sentencing and politely declined to comment on Daich’s decision when approached by a reporter as they left the courthouse. The state Attorney General’s Office, which prosecuted the case, could not be reached for comment on the verdict.

Phillips is free on $10,000 bond pending sentencing at a later date.