Northport Woman Charged With Reckless Murder of Pregnant Mother in July Wreck
A Northport woman has been charged with reckless murder and several counts of felony assault for causing an accident last year that killed a pregnant mother and seriously injured the victim's four young boys as well as the suspect's own infant son.
According to new court documents filed Friday, 36-year-old Anna Lea Dalrymple had a cocktail of drugs in her system on the night of July 5th, 2021 while she drove her infant son north along Highway 43 in her 2007 Volvo XC90.
Dalrymple allegedly crossed the centerline of the roadway and set on a collision course with Audra Rogers, a pregnant Northport woman driving south with her four young sons in a 2012 Honda Pilot.
Rogers reportedly attempted to turn sharply to the right and avoid the oncoming threat, but the two vehicles collided head-on, badly injuring all seven people involved.
Rogers, 35, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. All four of her sons were seriously injured in the wreck, as were Dalrymple and her infant boy, who was allegedly unrestrained in the Volvo.
The deposition filed Friday says police obtained a search warrant for Dalrymple's blood upon her arrival at UAB Hospital in Birmingham for treatment, and a sample was taken then sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for analysis.
Dalrymple reportedly had Alprazolam (Xanax), Clonazepam (Klonopin), the nerve medicine Gabapentin and Methadone in her blood at the time of the accident. The sample also contained fentanyl, but police later learned the opiate was administered by paramedics as they transported her to UAB.
With the blood work done, investigators then obtained warrants to charge Dalrymple with six major felonies for causing the collision.
She was charged with reckless murder for Rogers' death, four counts of first-degree assault for the injuries sustained by the four boys in the Honda and one count of first-degree assault domestic violence and one count of third-degree domestic violence reckless endangerment for the hurt she caused her own infant son.
Dalrymple was arrested Thursday and placed in the Tuscaloosa County Jail, where her combined bond was set at $137,500. She was released on bond later the same day.