An Ocala driver struck a motorcycle from behind on March 21 on Interstate 75, ejecting the rider, who later died at a local hospital. The driver now has been arrested on charges of DUI manslaughter and DUI with property damage.
Melinda Yvonne Dillon was booked into the Marion County Jail at 3:02 a.m. March 22 following an investigation by Florida Highway Patrol Traffic Homicide Investigator Justin Bard.
Dillon was at the Marion County Jail the morning of March 23 and appeared via Zoom in front of County Judge Robert Landt for her first appearance hearing.
At the hearing, a handcuffed Dillon sat at the back, away from other inmates and under suicide watch. The judge, who was at the courthouse, told her there was probable cause for her arrest.
Assistant State Attorney Meredith Poisson told the judge that due to the nature of the charges, prosecutors want Dillon held without bail pending a pre-trial detention hearing. The judge granted the request.
That means Dillon will remain at the Marion County Jail for now. The judge appointed the Public Defender’s Office to represent Dillon.
How did the crash happen?
According to troopers, a Nissan driven by Dillon was traveling in the outside lane southbound of I-75 near mile marker 349, which is just south of the State Road 200 interchange.
A Kawasaki motorcycle was ahead of the Nissan in the outside lane. FHP officials said a Cadillac SUV driven by LeAnn James, 68, of Tampa, was behind the Nissan and bike in the center lane.
FHP said the Nissan hit the back of the motorcycle, throwing the rider, later identified as Jasmine Elizabeth Brown, from the bike. She landed in the path of the SUV, which struck her.
Brown was transported to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, where she died from her injuries at 10:02 p.m. Brown, of Deer Island, was 22, troopers said.
According to troopers, Dillon’s blood-alcohol content or BAC registered at 0.093 and 0.085. The state’s legal limit is 0.08.
In her interview, according to an FHP account, the defendant told Bard she was drinking at a party in Ocala. She left the party to pick up her son in Marion Oaks when she crashed. She admitted to hitting the bike from behind, FHP said.
Dillon told troopers although her vehicle hit the bike, she didn’t think she should be arrested.
Dillon’s driving history
According to court records, Dillon’s driving record stretches back nearly 20 years. In total, documents indicate she has been assessed more than $2,500 in fines.
Dillon’s infractions began in 2008 where she was ticketed for not having a valid driver’s license. From then until 2024, she was cited for violations including speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, driving while license is suspended or revoked, and failure to stop at a traffic signal, according to the court records.
Examples of Dillon’s citations were, twice in December 2013, she received two speeding tickets, records show. One was 53 mph in a 35 mph, and the second for 54 mph in a 35 mph.
In 2017, records show, she was ticketed after being accused of driving 40 mph in a 20 mph school zone. Her last traffic infraction was in 2024, when she was accused of having a 4-year-old child in the front seat with no child restraint or seatbelt, according to records.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ocala driver arrested, accused of DUI in fatal I-75 crash
Reporting by Austin L. Miller, Ocala Star-Banner / Ocala Star-Banner
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
