Drunk Bradenton mom found throwing up on I-275 drove nearly 4 times the legal limit with kid in vehicle: FHP
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The Brief
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- Holly Lynn Ross is accused of having a breath alcohol content nearly four times the legal limit when troopers say she was found on the side of I-275 throwing up with a toddler in her backseat.
- According to FHP, Ross had struck a wall on the Howard Frankland Bridge moments earlier.
- She was charged with DUI, child neglect and failing to stay on the scene of a crash.
TAMPA, Fla. – A Bradenton mother is accused of being drunk when troopers say she hit a wall on the Howard Frankland Bridge and took off with a toddler in the backseat.
The backstory:
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a bystander called shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Thursday and said that a woman was feeling sick and was throwing up in a Black Chevy Traverse on I-275 between Westshore Blvd. and Lois Avenue.
When the trooper arrived on scene, he said a first responder from Tampa Fire Rescue told him that this was not a medical call. Instead, according to FHP, the first responder said that Holly Lynn Ross was drunk.
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The trooper, who spotted a 3-year-old boy in the backseat of Ross’s vehicle, said he smelled alcohol on Ross’s breath and had Ross perform several sobriety exercises, which she performed poorly on. She was subsequently arrested.
Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
The Department of Children and Families was contacted due to a child being in the vehicle at the time of the incident.
After Ross was placed in a patrol car, the trooper said Tampa Fire Rescue found a purple children’s sports drink bottle in Ross’s vehicle that had alcohol in it.
Dig deeper:
The trooper said Ross was taken to the Central Breath Testing facility at the Hillsborough County Jail and began having mood swings and started yelling and swearing at a deputy and jail staff.
After 20 minutes, Ross gave two breath samples of .303 and .301, which are nearly four times the legal limit in Florida.
Troopers said it was later discovered that Ross’s vehicle was a vehicle suspected to be involved in a hit-and-run crash on the Howard Frankland Bridge.
According to FHP, a witness called in and said that a vehicle with the same tag as Ross’s vehicle was pulling over to the shoulder repeatedly and had struck a wall and came to rest on the right shoulder.
Ross was charged with DUI, child neglect and failing to stay on the scene of a crash.
Bradenton mom charged with DUI drove nearly 4x the limit on I-275 in Tampa with 3-year-old in car: FHP
by: Katlyn Fernandez
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Bradenton mother was charged with driving under the influence after troopers said she drove nearly four times the legal alcohol limit on Interstate 275 in Tampa with her 3-year-old son in the car.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a caller reported seeing a woman throwing up on the highway near mile marker 40 just before 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
According to an arrest report, the driver, identified as Holly Ross, smelled of alcohol and had watery eyes. Troopers said Ross’s 3-year-old son was in the backseat of the car.5-year-old injured in ‘horrific’ attack by his family’s 3 Great Danes: Hernando sheriff
When authorities asked Ross to step out of the car, they said she was stumbling around and unsteady on her feet. The report said troopers had to help walk Ross over to their patrol vehicle because “she was having a hard time standing and walking.”
Troopers then conducted field sobriety exercises on Ross. According to the report, Ross had to skip some of the exercises because she had “difficulty walking and standing without stumbling due to a fall risk and the danger of her hurting herself.”
After Ross performed poorly, she was placed under arrest, troopers said.
Tampa Fire Rescue told troopers that crews found alcohol in a children’s sports drink bottle in the front of the vehicle, the report said.
The Department of Children and Families was contacted due to Ross’s 3-year-old son being in the car at the time of the incident.
When Ross was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, troopers said Ross “began to have mood swings” and was yelling and cursing at a deputy and jail staff members.
After a 20-minute observation period, the Florida Highway Patrol said Ross provided two breath samples, which showed a result of .303 and .301.
Investigators said they later discovered that Ross was driving the suspected vehicle involved in a hit-and-run on the Howard Frankland Bridge.
Witnesses reported that Ross pulled her vehicle over to the shoulder repeatedly and had struck a wall, the report said.
Ross was charged with DUI and child neglect for operating a vehicle while her 3-year-old son was in the car, troopers said.
3 dead in crash on I-4; a 6-year-old girl was the sole survivor
A driver lost control of a car on I-4, hitting a tree and a guardrail before vaulting over several lanes of traffic, according to FHP.
Credit: Florida Highway Patrol
Author: S.G. de León y León
POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Three people died in a crash on Sunday after a driver lost control of a car on Interstate 4 in Polk County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP). A 6-year-old girl was the sole survivor.
Just before 4:30 p.m., a 60-year-old Tampa man was driving a Toyota SUV eastbound on I-4 when he lost control of the car, troopers say.
The car “traveled onto the south shoulder of the highway and struck a tree” before continuing up an embankment. The SUV then hit a guardrail along State Road 570, vaulted over the eastbound lanes, hit another tree and flipped, according to FHP.
The driver and two passengers, an 83-year-old woman and a 60-year-old woman, died at the scene. The 6-year-old girl suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital.
According to the Florida Crash Dashboard, this year, Polk County has reported 8,654 car crashes, leaving 6,809 injured and 58 dead.
4 dead, 13 injured after speeding car in Tampa crashes into business, pedestrians
Silas Sampson, 22, was detained at the scene of the crash, according to police.
ByNadine El-Bawab and Ahmad Hemingway
1:23
Street racer kills 4 in Tampa: PolicePolice released surveillance video they say shows the suspect speed racing with another car before slamming into a crowd outside of a busy bar.
Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire via Shutterstock
At least four are dead and 13 others were injured when a driver lost control of a vehicle early Saturday while moving at a high speed, crashing into a business and hitting more than a dozen people in Tampa, Florida, police said.
The vehicle involved in the deadly crash has been previously observed street racing in Tampa, according to police.
Three victims died at the scene and a fourth victim died at the hospital, police said.
The number of injured rose from 11 to 13 when two victims “after the initial release, self-transported to a local hospital,” police said on Saturday. In total, two patients remain in critical condition, two were treated on the scene and not hospitalized, two were admitted and then discharged, and seven others are listed in stable condition, police said.
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Silas Sampson, 22, was detained at the scene of the crash, according to police.
The suspect was allegedly “driving recklessly” on I-275 before exiting the interstate at “a high rate of speed,” police said. The vehicle came to a “final stop” when it crashed into the outdoor patio area of a bar, Bradley’s on 7th, police said.
The establishment, which according to its social media is a “friendly gar bar where everyone is welcome,” said in a statement that the incident has been “very traumatic” for the staff and that the bar will remain closed until Monday.
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“We ask you to remember all those killed and injured in your prayers, as we do the same,” Bradley Nelson, the owner of Bradley’s on 7th, said in a statement.
Officials added that there is “no evidence to indicate that Sampson’s actions were targeted toward any specific persons or businesses.”
Air Service was monitoring the vehicle around 12:45 a.m. Police pursuing the car attempted an “unsuccessful PIT maneuver,” but the driver continued speeding. Shortly after, the driver crashed into the business, police said.
“What happened this morning was a senseless tragedy, our hearts are with the loved ones of the victims and all those who were impacted,” Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement Saturday.
“Reckless driving put innocent lives in danger. The Tampa Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol are committed to seeking justice for the victims and their families,” Bercaw said.
Sampson is scheduled to make his first appearance in court on Sunday at 10 a.m. local time, according to ABC Tampa Bay affiliate WFTS.
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What we know about the Ybor crash that killed 4, injured at least 13
Prosecutors are seeking to keep the driver jailed until his case is resolved.17
By
- Emily WunderlichTimes staff
Four people were killed and at least 13 others injured when a speeding driver fleeing from police slammed into a nightclub entryway in Ybor City early Saturday.
Silas Kenneth Sampson, 22, of Dade City faces charges of vehicular homicide and aggravated fleeing to elude law enforcement. Prosecutors are seeking to keep him in jail until his case is resolved.
As the bustling entertainment district reels from the tragedy, here’s everything we know so far.
The crash
The seven-minute chain of events began at 12:39 a.m. Saturday, when a Tampa police helicopter spotted a Toyota Camry heading south on Interstate 275 near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The person behind the wheel, later determined to be Sampson, was driving “in a reckless and erratic manner,” court documents state.
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Sampson exited onto Doyle Carlton Drive and headed north, then east onto Palm Avenue. At 12:44 a.m., as Sampson approached Nebraska Avenue, an officer in the police helicopter relayed the location to a Tampa police patrol officer and at least two Highway Patrol troopers and said the driver had appeared to be “street racing on the highway.”
At 12:45 a.m., Sampson turned south onto Nebraska Avenue and passed the marked Highway Patrol cars and the marked Tampa police vehicle, which were heading north on Nebraska. All three law enforcement officers turned around and followed the Camry.
At least one of the Highway Patrol troopers, identified in court records as A. Carrasco, turned on lights and sirens to make a traffic stop. Sampson turned left from Nebraska onto Seventh Avenue, heading east toward an entertainment district still packed with Friday night revelers.
Carrasco followed onto Seventh Avenue and pursued Sampson, who “accelerated rapidly and fled at high speed,” court documents state.
Related: Scene of the Ybor crash that killed 4 people
Near the intersection of Seventh and Henderson avenues, Carrasco tried what’s known as a Precision Immobilization Technique, or PIT maneuver. It is a common police method that involves having a patrol car strike the rear end of a fleeing vehicle to stop it from proceeding further along the road.
It didn’t work. Video released by the Tampa police helicopter shows Carrasco’s patrol car making contact with the back of the Camry, causing its rear wheels to slide sideways, but Sampson kept control of the car and continued east on Seventh Avenue, crossing Nuccio Parkway.
Carrasco ended the pursuit about 12:45 a.m. at the intersection of Seventh Avenue and Nuccio Parkway “due to heavy pedestrian traffic further ahead on Seventh Avenue,” court records state.
The Tampa police helicopter video shows Carrasco slowing down as he passes under the arch over Seventh Avenue that marks the Ybor City historic district. The arch is about 1,100 feet, or roughly three blocks, west of Bradley’s on 7th.
Surveillance cameras recorded Sampson speeding east toward 15th Street. Just before the intersection, the driver of a Jeep heading west on Seventh Avenue made a left turn in front of the Camry.
Sampson entered the westbound lane of Seventh, struck an oncoming Mazda and then drove onto the sidewalk in front of The Copper Shaker, a bar at 1502 E. Seventh Ave.
“The suspect vehicle struck several pedestrians walking along the sidewalk and hurled their bodies in the direction of an outdoor seating area at Bradley’s,” at 1510 E. Seventh Ave., the motion states.
The Camry crashed into an exterior pillar and came to rest in Bradley’s outdoor seating area.
Surveillance video from Bradley’s shows the Camry hitting about a dozen people seated in that area, according to the motion. One person was thrown high into the air and hit the ceiling of the seating area.
The video also recorded Sampson, who was alone in the car, getting out of the driver’s seat, the motion states. He tried to flee, but Tampa police officers detained him.
The victims
Three people died immediately at the scene. A fourth died later at a hospital. At least 13 others were injured, one of whom was still hospitalized in critical condition Sunday, court documents state.
An arrest affidavit for Sampson, made public Monday, identifies the dead as two men and two women: Marlon Anthony Collins, 54, of Bartow; Sherman Jones, 53, of Tampa; Lisa Sherell Johnson, 41, of Winter Haven; and Kristina Maria Richards, 25, of Ohio.
The driver
Sampson, 22, appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, told police he’d “made a mistake” and asked how many people he’d killed, according to court records.
He was booked into jail on charges that included four counts of vehicular homicide and aggravated fleeing to elude law enforcement. Prosecutors filed a motion seeking to keep him jailed until his case is resolved.
Sampson’s record shows an arrest by Dade City police in June 2024. Officers stopped him in traffic and searched his car, finding a silver and black Taurus handgun with a defaced serial number, according to court records. He pleaded no contest and received a year of probation after reportedly admitting to police he owned the gun.
Sampson, who has a twin sister, was listed as a tight end and defensive tackle on the roster of thePasco High School football team in 2019 and 2020.
He has a tattoo of a flower and the first name of his mom, Trudy, on his right arm, thatarrest report states.
In September, the Florida Highway Patrol cited him for driving 99 mph on Interstate 75, where the speed limit is 70. He was driving the same car, a silver Toyota sedan, that wasinvolved in Saturday’s fatal crash, the citation shows.
One of his family members, who identified herself only as Barbara, spoke to a Tampa Bay Times reporter Saturday by phone. She said the family will make a statement in the next few days.
“Our family is praying for everyone concerned,” she said.
His older sister, Latiya Mitchell, said the details in news reports about the crash were “very out of character” for her brother. She expressed sorrow for the families of those killed.
“This definitely wasn’t on purpose,” she said.
The aftermath
The startling and violent crash renewed criticism of the city and the Florida Highway Patrol, with some calling the chase unnecessary and urging the agency to change its policy. But agency officials dismissed such questions, saying the fleeing driver was solely responsible.
“The driver was already operating recklessly and endangering lives before troopers engaged,” said Madison Kessler, communications director for the Highway Patrol. “Our troopers followed policy, disengaged prior to when the suspect entered a crowded area, and the driver lost control on his own. This tragedy rests solely on the suspect’s reckless actions, not law enforcement.”
Related: Scenes from vigil for victims killed in Ybor City crash
Some on social media alsosuggested the city should again restrict car access on Seventh Avenue — a road bustling with weekend bargoers.
Two decades ago, the city blocked the street to traffic on weekends to reduce congestion.
“We know how important Ybor City is to our community and safety is always our top priority,” Tampa police chief Lee Bercaw said in an emailed statement. “Keeping Seventh Avenue open helps us maintain that safe environment for all. When streets close, large crowds tend to form, creating more challenging and unsafe conditions for everyone.”
Mayor Jane Castor, in a statement, wrote that “our entire city feels this loss”and that officials are working to get answers.
Times staff writers Dan Sullivan, Tony Marrero, Divya Kumar, Nina Moske, Christopher O’Donnell and Anthony Nicotera contributed to this report.
