Police officer let alleged drunk driver go after traffic stop hours before she slammed into 96-year-old geologist

A Florida woman accused of causing a fatal drunk-driving crash has reportedly admitted in a jail phone call that she had previously been stopped by a police officer who let her go.

Genise Taylor, 24, faces DUI manslaughter charges after the March 18 collision that killed 96-year-old Arthur Gilbert near Naples. The crash occurred shortly after 4 a.m. on southbound Interstate 75 near mile marker 109.

Authorities say Taylor was driving a Nissan Rogue north in the southbound lanes when she collided head-on with Gilbert’s Volvo XC60. Paramedics transported Gilbert to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A blood test taken from Taylor showed a blood alcohol content of .213—more than twice the legal limit of .08—according to the arrest affidavit.

After being read her Miranda rights, Taylor reportedly told police she had put her daughter to bed around 9:30 p.m. and then went out with a friend. She later went to a Waffle House to meet someone and claimed she drank only one glass of wine that evening. Investigators noted she allegedly smirked when questioned about consuming additional alcohol.

Authorities also say Taylor did not disclose a key detail. During a bond hearing Monday, prosecutors revealed that in a phone call from jail to a relative, Taylor admitted she had been stopped by a Collier County deputy hours before the deadly crash.

“She says, yes, she was stopped, and that she knew the officer,” said Assistant State Attorney Mara Marzano, according to local reports. Taylor was then reportedly driven to the Waffle House by two friends.

Traffic cameras later captured Taylor’s vehicle around 3:30 a.m. at the intersection of Golden Gate Parkway and I-75. Marzano said Taylor appeared to sleep at the intersection for more than half an hour before somehow entering the interstate going the wrong way.

Taylor’s attorney argued that the crash was not intentional, describing it as “a series of events that spiraled out of control and unfortunately ended in someone’s death.”

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Deputy Eric Pellegrino, involved in the initial traffic stop, is under internal review.

A judge denied Taylor’s request for bond, and she remains in the Collier County Jail.

Gilbert, a retired geologist from Vermont, had just dropped his wife off at the airport before the crash. Pamela Gilbert told reporters, “I said Art, ‘I love you, and you’ll be with me forever.’”

Regarding Taylor, she added, “This woman will live with this for the rest of her life. The law will take care of whatever needs to happen, and I couldn’t put my energy into that anger.”

Original Source