A 23-year-old man suspected in a fatal DUI crash in Highlands County has been denied asylum in Ireland and will be returned to the United States, according to reports.
The Irish Times says the High Court has ordered Samuel Joseph Taylor to be extradited to face charges in the June 2017 crash.
Highlands County deputies said Tucker admitted he was behind the wheel of a 2017 Maserati Ghibli when he ran off the road on a curve on State Road 17. The crash killed the 22-year-old passenger Alyssa Vice, reports said.
An investigation of the crash by the Florida Highway Patrol showed that Tucker was driving while drunk and his blood alcohol was measured at more than twice the legal limit after he was transported to Lakeland Regional Medical Center. Troopers said he was also driving at 140 mph shortly before the crash.
The car reportedly was still going 127 mph when it hit the power pole, which was more than 200 feet from where the car left the road.
Rather than face prosecution, Tucker fled to Ireland, the sheriff's office said. He was arrested in August 2018 after U.S. officials requested extradition.
The Irish Times said Tucker's argued there's no equivalent in Irish courts to DUI manslaughter. Also, he claimed Tucker's life would at risk back in the U.S., claiming there was a "bounty" on his head, and he fled the U.S. because a group of hooded people gathered outside his house.
The justice in the case, however, said he doesn't believe Tucker’s right to a fair trial would be compromised “in any way” by his extradition.
For more, read The Irish Times report.
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