Woman in wheelchair fatally hit by suspected drunk driver Christmas Eve, Florida cops say
A woman riding a motorized wheelchair along a road was fatally hit by a suspected drunk driver on Christmas Eve, Florida deputies said.
Leslie Stone, 40, was traveling east along West Pipkin Road in Lakeland on Dec. 24 when she approached an intersection, according to a Dec. 25 news release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Also driving east was Howard Bennett, 67, in a silver Mazda CX5, deputies said.
Bennett hit Stone with his car, the sheriff’s office said, and Stone was killed.
Deputies on the scene said Bennett was “stumbling while walking and using their patrol vehicle for support, and that he had bloodshot and watery eyes and spoke with slurred speech.” When performing a blood alcohol test, he blew a .159, nearly twice the legal limit, the sheriff’s office said.
Bennett was charged with DUI manslaughter, DUI .15 or higher with property damage and DUI with property damage and was taken into custody, according to the release.
“Our prayers are with Ms. Stone’s family. To lose a loved one this way is awfully tragic, but especially during the holiday season,” Sheriff Grady Judd said in the release.
Stone was a mother of three, according to a GoFundMe created by her neighbor, Jasmine Ritz.
Lakeland is about 35 miles east of Tampa.
This story was originally published December 26, 2023 at 7:24 AM with the headline "Woman in wheelchair fatally hit by suspected drunk driver Christmas Eve, Florida cops say."
