NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- An on-duty officer behind the wheel of New Smyrna Beach Police Department's signature Dodge Charger on South Glencoe Road was issued a ticket Saturday after slamming into an eastbound State Road 44 motorist's car, wrecking both vehicles and injuring the other driver who was transported by ambulance to the hospital with minor injuries.
Likisha Slayton, 28, of Edgewater was released from Bert Fish Medical Center's emergency room later in the evening. Slayton was eastbound on S.R. 44 when she was T-boned by the cop car heading into the intersection from South Glencoe Road with the intention of turning right onto the main road from Glencoe. The Florida Highway Patrol issued police officer Mark Severance a ticket charging him with failing to yield the right of way at the stop sign on Glencoe. The FHP could not ascertain if he actually came to a complete stop and then proceeded into the intersection.
The collision totaled the Edgewater driver's Silver Mitsubishi and may have the Charger as well, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Robert Sabill said, adding its front end sustained heavy damage. The FHP supervisor said the citation issued to Severance is a moving violation that carries a $166 fine.
Though the officer is responsible for either paying the fine or fighting it in court or seeking to have the points withheld by successfully completing a defensive driving course, but the city is responsible for the other driver's car damages as well as the bills for her hospital transport and care.
Sabill said he did not know where the officer was headed, but he did say he was not responding to an emergency call. The FHP supervisor said earlier rain was not a factor and that both drivers were wearing their seat belts. Sabill said Severance told the FHP trooper he saw another car on the inside lane, but did not see her's.
The Dodge Charger, which has a souped-up v-8 engine, is the police department's signature vehicle paid for with a $37,700-plus federal grant in mid-2007. The officers assigned to this night-shift vehicle are responsible for dealing with DUI's and other motor vehicle enforcement details.
Initially, the responding trooper said she would not answer media questions about the accident, saying any details would have to come from her supervisor, Sabill, the evening shift supervisor from Troop D in DeLand. He was on Interstate 95 near the Daytona Beach LPGA ramp when he got her call. NSBNews.net and a free-lance cameraman for WFTV were the only media outlets at the scene of the accident.
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