Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - Driver in Fatal Crash High On Drugs

By Nicholas Dorsten, Esq.

From the Tampa Times website, a man who was involved in a deadly fleeing and eluding crash was found to be high on prescription drugs and cocaine...

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A suspect that tried to flee from officers on Jan. 10, but instead ended up causing a wreck that left him and five other people hospitalized and one person — the suspect's passenger, the man police actually wanted — dead.

St. Petersburg police arrested the suspect after he was released from the hospital on Wednesday, and revealed more about the man behind the wheel: He was high on prescription drugs and cocaine at the time of the crash and hadn't had a valid license in four years.

The driver, who was 40 at the time of the fatal crash, was charged with DUI manslaughter in the death of his passenger. He also faces charges of fleeing and eluding an officer with wanton disregard causing death, DUI involving serious bodily injury, driving with a suspended or revoked licence resulting in death, and two counts of DUI resulting in property damage.

On the day of the crash police were looking for a passenger in connection with a purse-snatching. Relatives told police the 29-year-old was a drug addict who regularly stole to support his habit. Officers said they were also told the man had carried a weapon in the past and vowed that he would not go back to prison.

Police found him in the passenger seat of a Kia driven by the suspect. They tried to stop the car at 22nd Avenue S and 46th Street S. A pursuit was authorized. A few minutes later, a K-9 officer activated his emergency lights and tried to pull the Kia over as it drove in St. Petersburg.

A minute later, police said the Kia turned into oncoming traffic on Fifth Avenue N, striking a 2000 Ford pick-up head-on and injuring the two occupants.

The wanted passenger was killed by the impact, police said. The suspect and the occupants of the other vehicles were hospitalized for various injuries. A blood test showed he had traces of oxycodone, opiates, benzodiazepines and cocaine in his system.

The suspect had also been declared a habitual traffic offender in 2008, records show. This means he was not even supposed to be driving.

Have you or a loved one been arrested for a DUI or a prescription drug offense? Then call the St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers at 727.286.6141 for a free consultation!

For more information or to speak directly to your St. Pete criminal defense attorneys,call the number above or click on contact. We are located at 4707 140th ave N, Suite 104, Clearwater, minutes from both the Tampa and the Pinellas county courthouses.