Oct 31, 2012 2 min read

A Chartiers Township woman accused of being under the influence of heroin when she crashed her vehicle in September with her 4-month-old son as a passenger was arraigned on several charges last week.Carla Amanda Ruscello, 28, of 367 Castle Road, was charged by Chartiers police with driving under the influence of heroin, endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia.Police were called about midnight Sept. 12 for a report of a one-vehicle crash in the 300 block of Hickory Ridge Road near Belvadier Drive. When police arrived, they saw the vehicle had hit a tree head-on.Ruscello was still in the driver’s seat, but neighbors got the infant out of the vehicle. She told police she swerved to avoid a deer.A paramedic treating Ruscello told police she found nine empty stamp bags of suspected heroin and one full bag in the driver’s hand. Police said Ruscello tested positive for having heroin in her system.Both Ruscello and her son were taken to Washington Hospital for treatment. The boy later was transferred to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. Several days after the crash, a Washington County Children & Youth supervisor notified police the boy had suffered a fractured skull in the crash.Ruscello was arraigned before District Judge David Mark and released on her own recognizance. A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 28 before Mark.