A Dunkin' employee is facing a first-degree felony strangulation charge after police say an argument with a customer she knew escalated into a physical fight in the parking lot of a Chalfont Borough store earlier this month. Officers were called to the Dunkin' at 191 East Butler Avenue at approximately 7:25 a.m. on August 11 following reports of an assault, according to police records.
Savannah Renae Stevens, a 27-year-old Dunkin' employee from Philadelphia, was taken into custody after the altercation, according to the NBC10 Philadelphia. Police statements reported by Doylestown Patch indicate the dispute began as a verbal argument between Stevens and a customer she knew before it turned physical outside the store. Stevens was charged with strangulation, simple assault, and harassment.
What the Strangulation Charge Means
The strangulation count against Stevens is graded as a first-degree felony under Pennsylvania's 2016 statute, 18 Pa.C.S. § 2718, which defines the crime as intentionally or knowingly impeding another person's breathing or blood circulation by pressing on the neck or blocking the nose and mouth. Notably, the law does not require proof of physical injury to sustain the charge, according to Ciccarelli Law Offices. A conviction on the top felony grading carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in state prison and fines as high as $25,000, per the same firm's analysis of the statute.
Stevens' bail was set at $50,000 unsecured, meaning she was released without paying money upfront but would owe the full amount if she fails to appear in court or violates her release conditions, according to R. Davis Younts Law. That type of arrangement is not unusual in the region: a Vera Institute of Justice study of pretrial practices in neighboring Montgomery County found magisterial judges granted unsecured bail in more than half of observed preliminary arraignment cases, largely to avoid unnecessary pretrial detention.
A Familiar Kind of Call for Central Bucks Police
The Central Bucks Regional Police Department, which made the arrest, is a multi-jurisdictional agency covering Chalfont, Doylestown, and New Britain boroughs in Bucks County. The department's own crime logs from July show officers regularly responding to violent altercations and public safety calls across those three boroughs, including aggravated assault charges, DUI collisions, and trespass complaints. Commercial disputes at quick-service businesses are not new to the coverage area either — Doylestown Patch has previously reported police intervention at Wendy's and McDonald's locations nearby for customer disputes, trespassing, and physical fights.
East Butler Avenue itself is a heavily traveled, state-maintained corridor running through Chalfont Borough that hosts municipal services alongside local retail businesses, including the Dunkin' location where the fight broke out. The 7:25 a.m. dispatch time places the altercation squarely during the morning rush at a store along that busy strip.
Dunkin' Has Not Responded
NBC10 Philadelphia reported that it reached out to Dunkin' for comment on the incident and had not received a response as of publication. It remains unclear whether the company or its franchise operator plans to address employee conduct or store safety following the arrest. Stevens' case is expected to proceed through Bucks County's magisterial court system, though no preliminary hearing date has been publicly confirmed.
