Counsel for a Naples woman accused in the wrong-way crash that killed a senior citizen on Interstate 75 is asking the presiding judge to reconsider her ruling to hold the driver without bond.
Genise Taylor, 24, faces charges of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, DUI causing property damage and reckless driving causing damage to property or another. The March 18 crash killed 96-year-old Arthur Ward Gilbert, of Naples.
About two months after Collier County Judge Deborah Cunningham denied bond during a pretrial detention hearing, Taylor’s attorney, Joshua Faett, on May 20 filed a motion for reconsideration.
In the motion, Faett argued that Taylor has no prior criminal history and has strong community ties. She is the primary caregiver to her 5-year-old daughter, according to the motion.
Since her arrest, according to Faett, Taylor has sought substance abuse treatment and has been accepted into a long-term inpatient residential rehabilitation facility. Faett argued that Taylor is willing to immediately enter and remain at the facility as a condition of release.
Faett further rgued Taylor no longer owns a car and added that her license was revoked. A hearing on the new motion is set for June 29.
The deadly wreck happened just after 4:15 a.m. March 18 along Interstate 75, near Mile Marker 110 in North Naples, according to a Florida Highway Patrol incident report.
Troopers arrested Taylor after her release from Physicians Regional — Pine Ridge.
Authorities said Taylor crashed head-on with cars driven by Gilbert and a 57-year-old New Hampshire man.
A Florida Highway Patrol report says a blood sample collected by hospital staff revealed her blood-alcohol content about an hour after the crash was 0.213 — nearly three times the legal limit, which is 0.08.
How did troopers piece the investigation together?
In court, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper testified that three troopers responded as well as deputies from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and added that the wreck closed the southbound I-75 lanes.
A video authorities obtained from another driver showed Taylor was traveling in the middle lane and several cars dodged her.
The trooper also revealed that several drivers called 911.
When asked about Taylor’s demeanor, the trooper said she showed “significant” signs of impairment. Taylor gasped and stared up toward the ceiling as testimony continued.
Traffic stop hours before
The testimony uncovered that a Collier County sheriff’s deputy stopped Taylor about 2:30 a.m. March 18 on U.S. 41 and that she received a citation for exceeding 70 mph in a 45 mph zone and that Taylor during a jail call said she knew the deputy who stopped her.
Court records show the March 18 citation issued by Collier County sheriff’s Deputy Eric Pellegrino, 29, was made public more than a week later, on March 27. Pellegrino faces an internal affairs probe and remains on the job.
After that initial stop, two friends picked Taylor up, one driving her car, and drove her to the Waffle House at 6531 Dudley Drive, in Naples.
She drove her car from the restaurant. Traffic cameras showed her Nissan about 3:45 a.m. stopped at the Golden Gate off-ramp light for about 35 minutes.
A car pulled up next to Taylor and stopped for several minutes, the testimony revealed.
When the light turned green, troopers said, Taylor’s Nissan rolled forward and struck a raised median on Golden Gate Parkway.
Authorities have not figured out how she entered the wrong lanes.
Taylor traveled north in the southbound lanes for about 4 miles before she struck Gilbert and the other driver, who required about 13 stitches to his forehead.
Injuries from the crash amid smell of alcohol
The arrest affidavit says Taylor had fresh and visible lacerations on her face and a prominent contusion across her upper left body, shoulder and neck.
Troopers said Taylor had glassy eyes and a moderate alcohol smell.
When troopers spoke with Taylor, the report says, she told them she did not know what happened and that another car hit her.
Mom had spent evening with young daughter
The report says Taylor told troopers she spent the day before the crash, St. Patrick’s Day, with her daughter at a Chuck E. Cheese in Naples, where they played games.
According to authorities, Taylor said she put her daughter to bed around 9:30 p.m. and left the house around 11:30 p.m. to meet a friend at Blue Martini, 9114 Strada Place, in Naples.
Taylor told troopers she then met with someone she was “talking to” at the Waffle House at 6531 Dudley Drive, in Naples, where she ate.
From Waffle House, Taylor told troopers, she left alone and was headed home.
Headed in the opposite direction
When troopers asked Taylor for her home address, they learned it is south of the Waffle House. The crash happened north of the restaurant.
“She stated that she wasn’t good with directions, but that she has been living in Naples for 3 years and is familiar with where things are located,” the arrest report reads in part.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@usatodayco.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Bluesky @tomasfrodriguez.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Lawyer seeks release of woman accused in fatal wrong-way I-75 crash
Reporting by Tomas Rodriguez, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
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