FORT WRIGHT, Ky. (AP) — Authorities have announced that the driver responsible for a fatal crash in Fort Wright that killed the driver and three others was under the influence of heroin at the time of the crash.
Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney Rob Sanders said in a statement Monday that a medical examiner has concluded that 48-year-old Kenneth Hartsock had heroin, fentanyl and THC in his system.
On Sept. 1, Harstock hit another vehicle head-on, killing Harstock and the three adults inside the other vehicle. Police say witnesses saw Hartsock driving erratically down Highland Pike when his vehicle crossed into the oncoming lanes, striking the vehicle. Hartsock was the only person inside his vehicle.
Fentanyl is a strong painkiller that is sometimes mixed with heroin and is approximately 30 to 50 times stronger than pharmaceutical grade heroin.