Leesburg

DeLAND, Florida—A little more than a week after a devastating crash that killed two unrestrained Leesburg children; two more Leesburg children were found unrestrained in a car that was reportedly speeding in DeLand at nearly 100 miles per hour.

Shortly after 12:30 a.m. Monday, two Volusia Sheriff’s Office deputies spotted a white Chevy Impala traveling 57 miles per hour in a 45 miles per hour zone. VSO started to apprehend the car and its speed increased to 70 miles per hour before turning onto International Speedway Boulevard and accelerating to 91 miles per hour in a 50 miles per hour zone, according to a VSO report.

As deputies approached the car, they saw two small children, a 3-year-old girl lying in the front seat, unrestrained, and a 2-year-old boy in the backseat also unrestrained. There were no car seats in the car, according to the report.

VSO spoke with the driver, Carolyn Poitier, 25 of Leesburg, the mother of the children, who said she was headed to Daytona Beach to pick up her boyfriend, the father of the two tots. One of the deputies began to speak with Poitier on the dangers of having her children unrestrained and Poitier, “had complete lack of emotion or concern for her children’s own well-being,” the deputy noted in the report. She also got her children’s ages wrong.

Poitier said she does own car seats but took the vehicle without the seats because she did not want to strap in her sleeping children; she said always drives in the same manner and “did not seem concerned with the speed.” When asked what would happen if she were involved in a crash, she reportedly said she did not plan to get in a crash.

VSO told her to arrange for her children to be picked up with car seats and “contact was made” with her boyfriend, the children’s father. She was then taken into custody for child neglect and due to a strong odor of burnt marijuana, her car was searched. VSO found three loose pills, identified as Tramadol, a prescription pain killer. She was arrested for possession, in addition to child neglect and issued traffic citations for speeding, careless driving and three seatbelt tickets. A copy of the report was faxed to the Department of Children and Families for review.

The children’s father arrived on scene with car seats and took the children and Poitier was transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail, where she was released on $5,000 bond.

This incident comes just 10 days after an Easter Eve crash that killed two toddlers. Two Leesburg boys aged 4 and 2 were unrestrained in a Kia sedan when the Kia was involved in a head-on crash with a Toyota pickup truck. The crash killed both boys and one was ejected, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. A 1-year-old boy was airlifted to a local hospital in serious condition. It is unknown if he was in a car seat.

LEESBURG, Florida—The third time was not the charm for a Leesburg man who passed out in a Wendy’s drive-thru in February and was arrested Wednesday for his third DUI in relation to the incident after toxicology reports came back showing he had a .378 blood alcohol content—more than four times the legal limit.

On Feb. 26, shortly after midnight, Leesburg Police responded to Wendy’s, 914 North 14^th Street to assist EMS with an unresponsive driver in the drive-thru. When officers arrived, they found Reddick Williams III, unresponsive in the driver’s seat of the grey Hyundai, that was on and in “drive,” according to the arrest affidavit.

After several attempts, Williams 41, finally woke up and denied falling asleep. He was transported to UF Health Leesburg for further treatment. On Saturday, LPD received Williams’ medical records that revealed his BAC to be .378 a t the time it was tested.

Williams was arrested at his Leesburg home Wednesday for DUI third offense and transported to the Lake County Jail, where he was released on $5,000 bond.

LEESBURG, Florida—A 77-year-old Leesburg man was killed Tuesday after he crashed into a tree at a local pharmacy, according to Leesburg Police Capt. Joe Iozzi.

The man was driving a 2004 Honda Civic eastbound on State Road 44 shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday, when he left the roadway for an unknown reason and crashed into a tree at Walgreens, 901 South 14^th Street. The man was transported to UF Health Leesburg and later airlifted to a trauma center, where he succumbed to his injuries. The man’s identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin, Iozzi said.

No other vehicles are believed to be involved and the investigation is ongoing.