Man charged in fatal crash in Milton had been warned earlier that day to slow down, records show
A man suspected of driving under the influence and causing a fatal wreck in Milton shortly after a police sergeant had warned him to slow down has been charged.
Nicholas Louis Tavarozzi pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide Monday at arraignment. Superior Court Judge James Orlando set bail at $250,000 and ordered that the 22-year-old must have a GPS device on his person if he’s released.
The victim, whose name has not yet been released by the Medical Examiner’s Office, died at the scene of the crash Friday.
Charging papers give this account of what happened:
The wreck happened about 12:45 p.m. in the 7900 block of Pacific Highway East.
Police arrived to find the victim’s vehicle in the center turn lane and Tavarozzi’s vehicle part-way up a nearby embankment.
A sergeant recognized Tavarozzi, because about 30 to 45 minutes before he’d told him to slow down and to fix his expired registration.
A witness said Tavarozzi’s vehicle was going “extremely fast” and that it hit the victim’s vehicle as the victim turned left out of a parking lot. When witnesses went to help they noticed Tavarozzi smelled of alcohol.
He allegedly told an officer that he was dead, that he was paralyzed and that he could not talk — all of which the officer pointed out to him was not true.
Tavarozzi also allegedly said he had a couple beers that morning and smoked marijuana the night before, and that he’d been driving 2 mph when the victim pulled out in front of him. He tried to stop in time, he told the officer, but couldn’t.
“The defendant was admitted to the hospital to be treated for a possible fracture to his right ankle, fractured ribs, and a laceration to his liver,” the declaration for determination of probable cause said. “When he refused medical treatment, he was transported to jail.”
