New court documents have revealed a Naples woman accused of killing a senior citizen in a wrong-way crash nearly doubled the speed limit when a sheriff’s deputy stopped her hours before.
Genise Taylor, 24, faces one count of DUI manslaughter in the March 18 crash that killed 96-year-old Arthur Ward Gilbert, of Naples. Collier County Judge Deborah Cunningham on March 23 ordered Taylor’s remand into custody without bond until her trial.
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.
According to the citation, just after 2:30 a.m. March 18, Taylor was going 71 mph in a 45 mph zone when Pellegrino stopped her along U.S. 41. Pellegrino was cleared four years ago from an officer-involved shooting in Maryland and left that job soon after.
After the March traffic stop, two friends picked Taylor up, one drove her car, and one drove her to the Waffle House at 6531 Dudley Drive, in Naples, according to testimony during her pretrial detention hearing.
Authorities said Taylor 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. A Florida Highway Patrol trooper said the identity of that driver remains under investigation.
Authorities said that when the light turned green, 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 and that they could not see what triggered the wrong turn. The investigation is pointing toward a presumed U-turn at the bottom of the ramp.
Deputy faces Collier internal affairs probe
Pellegrino, who has been with the sheriff’s office for less than two years, faces an internal affairs investigation in Collier County because of letting Taylor leave the original stop. The probe addresses accusations of negligence.
He previously worked for the Baltimore County Police Department in Maryland, where he was investigated related to an on-duty shooting that left a man dead.
The sheriff’s office said Pellegrino has been employed with them since June 18, 2024, about a year after he left his job in Maryland.
During a jail call played in court March 23, Taylor confessed she was stopped prior to the crash that killed Gilbert and that she knew Pellegrino.
Court documents do not say how Pellegrino and Taylor knew each other.
The fatal head-on crash
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.
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.
Her arraignment is April 13.
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.
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples woman accused in DUI wrong-way crash exceeded 70 mph in 45 zone
Reporting by Tomas Rodriguez, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
