Woman who pleaded guilty in deadly Elkhart crash sent back to jail

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A northern Indiana woman who pleaded guilty for her role in a hit-and-run crash that killed a man and two children has been returned to jail after violating probation.

Penelope Grosswiler, 43, had pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for hiding evidence related to the August 2017 crash, in which a vehicle driven by her husband, Leonard Grosswiler, struck five pedestrians in Elkhart.

The crash killed 8-month-old Dolly Thomas, 11-year-old Courtney Smith and 22-year-old Shawn Wolcott.

Penelope Grosswiler was sentenced to 2½ years in prison with six months suspended. But on Thursday an Elkhart County judge ordered Grosswiler returned to jail to serve her suspended time after she admitted violating the terms of her probation, The Elkhart Truth reported.

A warrant was issued for the Elkhart woman’s arrest after she violated her probation by testing positive for a prescription painkiller detected in a drug screening.

Leonard Grosswiler pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced in December 2018 to 15 years, with 10 years to be served in prison and the rest in community corrections and probation.

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