LAKELAND, Fla. — A Lakeland woman was killed while riding her wheelchair along a Polk County road on Christmas Eve.
The crash happened around 6 p.m. near the intersection of West Pipkin Road and Fairfield Drive.
According to the sheriff's office, 40-year-old Leslie Stone was riding down West Pipkin Road in her motorized wheelchair when 67-year-old Howard Bennett struck her in his 2019 silver Mazda CX5.
Deputies said Bennett was stumbling while walking and using their patrol vehicle for support. They added that Bennett had watery, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and an odor of alcohol on his breath.
Bennett was taken into custody following a field sobriety test.
The sheriff's office said Bennett provided two breath samples that measured nearly twice the legal limit. He was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with DUI manslaughter.
“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. "We hope and pray our citizens will make better choices than this suspect did - please celebrate the holidays responsibly."
