An Uber driver was found guilty of running a red light that caused him to crash into a Seminole County deputy’s car leading to the death of his passenger on Friday.
In the traffic court hearing, a judge determined Robert Williams ran a red light at the corner of State Road 434 and Ronald Reagan Boulevard.
Florida Highway Patrol said Williams ran the red light causing the fatal crash on Dec. 12.
The state called several witnesses and listened to hours of testimony on Friday.
The deputy involved in the crash admitted to driving 20 miles over the posted speed limit while responding to a call.
"It's not an excuse...woah, the other person was speeding, therefore I'm not at fault for running the red light. That's simply not an excuse," FHP's attorney Tom Moffett said.
Williams' passenger, 28-year-old Corey Allicock, died in the crash.
Williams took the stand in his defense. He told the court he was sure the light was green.
"I was coming into the intersection and normally I always check the lights thoroughly and the light I went through was green," Williams said. "I probably got maybe 30, 35 feet out into the intersection and looked to my left and I saw a white light and after that I was out."
Williams' lawyer argued the judge shouldn't find him guilty. He questioned the deputy's testimony and the surveillance video that captured the accident.
"I know it's a terrible tragedy, but the state does not have enough evidence to prove that," Williams' attorney Albert Pucylowski said.
But the judge ruled Williams did run the light, which caused the crash and lead to Allicock's death.
"This is a tragic case, unfortunately, someone died. Unfortunately, Mr. Williams needs to be held accountable for his actions," Moffett said.
The judge sentenced Williams to pay a $1,000 fine and suspended his license for six months.
The family of the victim filed a negligence lawsuit against the Uber driver and Seminole County sheriff's deputy Donald Eslinger. When News 6 told the family's attorney that FHP cleared the deputy from any wrongdoing, the attorney said the family will drop Eslinger from the lawsuit.
News 6 spoke to the family's attorney on Friday. We're told the case is set to go to mediation in December.