Police: Parents passed out in car for more than an hour near Dover

A Lancaster County couple face criminal charges after allegedly passing out in their SUV for more than an hour with their two children inside, according to police.

Brent Heisey, 36, and Amy Zink, 32, both of Moccasin Drive north of Ephrata, remain in York County Prison in lieu of bail. His bail is set at $75,000, hers is $20,000, according to court records.

Each is charged with two counts of felony child endangerment, plus one count of illegal possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to charging documents.

Heisey also is charged with driving under the influence.

Northern York County Regional Police said the family's Dodge Durango pulled into the lot of the Turkey Hill Minit Market at 2820 Carlisle Road in Dover Township at 6:11 p.m. Friday, July 20.

Shortly after 7 p.m., the couple's 14-year-old son asked a store clerk whether his 6-year-old sister could use the bathroom, police said.

A short time later, the teen approached the clerk again, asking her to call someone for him, which she agreed to do, according to police.

The teen then went back out to the SUV, opened the driver-side door and retrieved his father's cellphone — which apparently failed to wake either of his parents, charging documents state.

The clerk then tried to call one of the teen's relatives but had no luck, police said.

Couldn't wake them: At that point she went out to the SUV and yelled at both Heisey and Zink, but neither responded, documents state.

That's when the clerk called 911, police said.

Dover Township Deputy Fire Chief Brian Widmayer was the first to respond to the store, having been flagged down, police said.

Widmayer reported to officers that the Durango was still running when he arrived and said he was able to rouse the couple, documents state.

He also reported that after she woke up, Zink started to place white pills, which had been in her lap, into the SUV's center console area, according to charging documents.

Officers then arrived and spoke with the pair.

"Both appeared sluggish and disoriented and in speaking with them their language was slurred," Officer Patrick McBreen wrote in charging documents. "I asked them where their kids were, to which both responded they did not know."

Police said the York County Office of Children, Youth and Families took custody of the children.

At Pinchot Park: Police learned the family had been at Gifford Pinchot State Park all day, swimming. Heisey told officers that's why they were exhausted, documents state.

But police said they determined Heisey and Zink snorted crushed-up Xanax and took other over-the-counter pain killers that made them lethargic.

Zink told officers they snorted the Xanax about 1 p.m. that day — prior to driving to Pinchot Park, charging documents allege.

It is unclear whether Heisey and Zink have retained attorneys, and they couldn't be reached for comment.

— Reach Liz Evans Scolforo at levans@yorkdispatch.com or on Twitter at @LizScolforoYD.