ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – A man arrested Wednesday faces DUI charges several months after a crash that left a woman dead in Ormond Beach, according to police.
Wyatt Dickerson, 26, was arrested via warrant to face charges of vehicular homicide, DUI causing serious bodily injury, DUI with damage to persons or property and DUI causing death, records show.
Charges had been pending against Dickerson since the fatal crash, which occurred the morning of May 1 along northbound State Road A1A at Harvard Drive, police said.
Dickerson was behind the wheel of a Honda Accord that was traveling approximately 110 mph at the time it passed through the Harvard Drive intersection and rear-ended a Kia Rio, sending both vehicles spinning until the Kia struck the median, became airborne and landed some 45 feet away, according to an affidavit.
The Kia’s driver and passenger were then entrapped, police said. The driver managed to escape, removing his shirt and placing it on his head due to excessive bleeding, but his passenger — identified as Mary Pezza, 26 — was pronounced dead at the scene, the affidavit states.
A witness approached the Honda and saw Dickerson slumped over the steering wheel, police said, noting the vehicle was still running and in gear. After squeezing his shoulder to wake him, the witness reported Dickerson would not initially comply to requests that he turn off the car, adding they eventually took Dickerson’s keys and otherwise prevented him from leaving the wrecked Accord before first responders could take over.
Dickerson consented to a blood draw, which came back with negative results for blood alcohol content, yet another toxicology report for narcotics returned with a THC content of 22 ± 9 ng/mL, according to the affidavit. Police pointed to this and other circumstantial evidence to state he was under the influence at the time of the crash, such as figuring that Dickerson couldn’t have been on the medication he’s prescribed for seizures because “most seizure medications will indicate a false positive.”
Dickerson was booked Wednesday morning at the Volusia County Branch Jail and posted $300,000 bond to be released, records show.
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