Loading ...Palm Harbor Woman Charged with DUI Manslaughter
Clearwater police arrested Nicole Scholl of Palm Harbor early yesterday morning in relation to a single car accident which killed a Clearwater man. Scholl was charged with DUI manslaughter.
Law enforcement alleges that Scholl was intoxicated when she lost control of her 1996 Plymouth van at 1:50 a.m. on a frontage road just off the southbound lanes of U.S. 19. Her passenger, Anthony Campaign was hanging out the window at the time because he was ill. Campaign was killed instantly after he hit a utility pole and was thrown from the van, according to police.
The arresting officer wrote in his report that Scholl had alcohol on her breath, slurred speech and bloodshot, glassy eyes. She reportedly admitted drinking at a bar before the crash.
Scholl was not injured but was taken to Bayfront Medical Center as a precaution. She allegedly showed signs of alcohol-related impairment at the hospital as well. She was arrested upon her release from the hospital.
She was being held in Pinellas County Jail without bail Friday. It was unclear from news reports whether Scholl submitted to a breathalyzer test, provided a blood sample at the hospital or refused to provide either for analysis of her blood alcohol level. A blood alcohol level of .08 triggers a presumption of impairment in Florida. If no breath or blood sample was analyzed, prosecutors will have to prove Scholl’s impairment by circumstantial evidence such as her behavior, her statements and her performance on field sobriety tests, if any were administered.
Jail records indicate that Scholl was also arrested last month on charges of marijuana and Vicodin possession. She was arrested for DUI in Pasco County in February 2009 but that charged was dismissed. Her Florida driver’s license was valid at the time of this week’s accident.
If convicted of DUI manslaughter, Scholl faces up to 15 years in a Florida state prison. The Vicodin charge also carried a maximum sentence of 15 years.