Lewisburg Woman Enters Treatment Court After Child Endangerment Case

Olivia Anna Mahalski, 34, of Timberhaven Drive in Lewisburg pleaded guilty on December 12 to a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child and was immediately sentenced by Union County Judge Michael Piecuch to five years of probation with restrictive conditions. All other charges against her were dismissed, and District Attorney Brian Kerstetter said Mahalski was placed in the county s drug treatment court program for a total of five years, with the initial portion spent in treatment court and the remainder on regular probation.

The case stems from a July 23 crash in Mifflinburg in which an SUV driven by Gregory Gene Doebler, 32, of South 19th Street in Lewisburg flipped on Chestnut Street at about 6:25 p.m. Police reported Doebler was operating the vehicle under the influence of a controlled substance with a 3 year old child aboard. A subsequent drug screen tested positive for methamphetamine.

Police said Mahalski took the child from the backseat after the crash, ran to the nearby Scarlet D and left the child unattended at the bar while attempting to flush two hypodermic syringes with needles in a bathroom. Both Mahalski and Doebler were initially charged with a felony count of endangering the welfare of children and a misdemeanor count of obstructing the administration of law. Doebler faces additional charges including two misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person, DUI of a controlled substance, and four related summary offenses. Mahalski had faced a misdemeanor count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and two related summary offenses.

Doebler was scheduled for a preliminary hearing in mid December and his case remains pending. For Union County residents the episode raises questions about child supervision, the responsibilities of adults at licensed establishments, and how the criminal justice system balances accountability with rehabilitation. The treatment court placement signals a judicial preference in this case for addressing substance use through supervised treatment and probation rather than extended incarceration, a decision that will be monitored by families, public safety officials and community service providers as the cases move forward.