A man facing his third DUI charge has apparently been arrested for his suspected connection to the death of a motorist on Aug. 21. The 30-year-old Florida man from Port Orange has been charged with DUI of alcohol/drugs as well as several other charges. He is out after posting $102,500 bail, but he will be due in court at an indeterminate time to face these charges.
According to law enforcement, it appears the 30-year-old landscaper was traveling south on Nova Road with a female passenger around midnight on Aug. 8 when the accident occurred. The couple were traveling at a high rate of speed in the man’s pickup truck when the driver failed to stop at a red light at an intersection. As a result, the man’s vehicle struck the driver’s side of a vehicle headed eastbound and about to make a left-hand turn.
The force of the impact spun the second vehicle around, throwing the 47-year-old male driver from the truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The 30-year-old driver then reportedly stumbled from his vehicle. The woman with him confirmed to police that he had been drinking, and a subsequent blood analysis showed a BAC of .122, well above the legal limit of .08.
A DUI charge of this severity, particularly combined with vehicular homicide, could spell serious jail time for the driver involved. This is why the burden of proof rests with a Florida prosecutor to conclusively prove the man was drunk or high at the time of the crash. His attorney will work tirelessly to build a compelling defense against these charges by carefully reviewing all the facts of the case.