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Woman Charged In Police Chase That Killed Innocent Motorist

Posted Sep 26, 2006 by Billy Townsend

Updated Sep 26, 2006 at 02:34 PM

A woman fleeing Lakeland police was driving 96 mph on July 17 when she struck head-on a car driven by Kenneth Roger Gadd, killing him, according to an arrest warrant served Tuesday.

Tonya Lee English, 27, was arrested Tuesday in her hospital room at Lakeland Regional Medical Center on one felony count of vehicular homicide, said Jack Gillen, Lakeland police spokesman. English has been in the hospital sicne the violent crash on State Road 33. But Gillen said he could not comment further on her condition or when she will be jailed.

Kenneth Gadd, 50, known as Roger, was killed on his way to work just after 4 a.m. on the morning of July 17. Driving south on State Road 33, Gadd was just feet from Interstate 4, the highway he used in his daily commute to Orlando. That’s when English, fleeing from officers in a stolen pickup truck, slammed into him as she drove north, according to an arrest affidavit.

Police say English had tried to pass another truck at the I-4 overpass, veered into the opposite lane and hit Gadd’s 2000 Toyota Camry. Gadd was declared dead at the scene.

Analysis of data recording equipment showed English was driving the truck at 96 mph just one second before she plowed into Gadd’s Camry, according to the arrest affidavit.

In the aftermath of the crash, members of Gadd’s family, including his mother, criticized police for pursuing English. At the time, LPD officials said officers chasing English appeared to do nothing wrong but the agency would investigate the case, as it does all crashes involving LPD officers.

That post-crash investigation is complete and awaiting review by LPD Chief Roger Boatner, Gillen said.  It will not be released until that happens, Gillen said.

He did not provide a timetable for release of the review.