A 25-year-old mother of four died after a Ford Explorer rolled onto its roof and struck a utility pole on Wayne Highway in Quincy Township. Nearly five months after the April 13 crash, Waynesboro resident Dwaine Richard Heinbaugh Jr. was charged this week with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence and several other offenses in connection with the death of passenger Cassie Sheeder.
The crash occurred around 9:20 p.m. in the 9500 block of Wayne Highway, where the 2004 Ford Explorer struck a guide rail, overturned and came to rest on its roof against a utility pole, according to Tri-State Alert. Pennsylvania State Police investigated the crash over the following months, with evidence processed by the agency's Chambersburg troopers, Troop H Crash Analysis and Reconstruction Unit and Forensic Services Unit, the outlet reported.
Sheeder, identified in her obituary as a longtime Chambersburg resident who attended Chambersburg Area Senior High School and worked at a local restaurant, was the front-seat passenger in the vehicle, according to Legacy.com. She left behind four children — Bella, Sophia, Adriana and Kaiden — according to the same obituary. WPMT FOX43 reported in May that the crash involved three total occupants in the Explorer, with both Heinbaugh and a rear-seat passenger transported to nearby hospitals for injuries described as non-life-threatening.
A Lengthy List of Charges
The charges reported by Tri-State Alert include homicide by vehicle while DUI, homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance, accidents involving death or injury while not licensed, recklessly endangering another person, careless driving and driving at safe speed. Heinbaugh also faces a charge of making a false report to falsely incriminate another person.
The false-reporting charge falls under 18 Pa.C.S. § 4906(a), which classifies giving law enforcement knowingly false information to falsely incriminate another person as a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in prison, according to the same statute cited by the LLF Law Firm. It is not clear from available records exactly what false information Heinbaugh is accused of giving investigators.
Mandatory Prison Time on the Table
The alleged homicide-by-vehicle-while-DUI offense carries significant statutory consequences if Heinbaugh is convicted. Homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence is a second-degree felony under 75 Pa.C.S. § 3735, with a mandatory minimum of three years in state prison per deceased victim, according to License Restoration Services. The same source says a conviction would also trigger an automatic three-year driver's license suspension from PennDOT; those consequences are not outcomes of the pending case.
Heinbaugh was charged through Magisterial District Court 39-3-07, which is presided over by Magisterial District Judge Kelly L. Rock and covers Quincy Township, Guilford Township and Mont Alto Borough, according to Franklin County Government. Tri-State Alert reports that Heinbaugh is currently incarcerated at Franklin County Jail on unrelated charges involving possession of narcotics and paraphernalia by him and another individual.
A Prior Record in Franklin County
Heinbaugh has a criminal history in the county predating the crash. He was previously arrested by Pennsylvania State Police in Chambersburg in January 2018 on charges including witness intimidation, corruption of a minor, and indecent assault, and he faced an additional criminal trespass charge in Franklin County in August 2026, according to WPMT FOX43's earlier reporting.
Part of a Troubling Pattern on Rural Roads
The crash adds to a string of severe collisions on Franklin County highways in recent memory. A November 2025 crash on Molly Pitcher Highway (Route 11) in nearby Greene Township claimed three lives, according to a report that noted emergency crews shut down major county roadways for hours during the investigation.
The Franklin County Free Press previously reported on PennDOT's 2025 traffic-safety figures and discussed driver behavior in fatal crashes. The most recent verified statewide impaired-driving figures are summarized below.
Statewide figures do not establish a county trend
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, fatalities in impaired-driver crashes statewide fell from 342 in 2024 to 258 in 2025, the lowest number on record. The verified information available here does not include a comparable year-over-year breakdown for Franklin County, so the April crash should be treated as an individual incident rather than evidence of a countywide pattern.
Wayne Highway was the site of the crash in Quincy Township. No details on the identity or account of the third occupant in the crash have been made public, and it remains unclear whether Heinbaugh has entered a plea in the case.
