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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.
I FEEL FOR THIS FAMILY.IT IS A SHAME THAT LAKELAND POLICE DEPARTMENT REALY FEEL THAT THEY WERE IN THE RIGHT.WHAT IF IT IS WAS ONE OF THERE’S???I THINK THEY WERE IN THE WRONG U JUST DON’T CHASE FOR A VEHICLE AND ALSO HAS THE GUYS WHO PICKED THIS IDIOT WOM-MEN BEN CHARGED WITH ANY THING YET????I THINK THAT THE COPS AND THE GUYS AND THAT WOMEN SHOULD ALL HAVE TO PAY.I AM A COP AND THERE IS A LIMIT TO CHAESING STOLDEN VEHICLES.MAY LAKELAND POLICE DEPARTMENT NEED LOOK IN TO NEW LAWS ABOUT THAT.GOOD LUCK TO THE GADD FAMILY.....
Roger Gadd was my uncle and my family has questions,doubts about thepolice chase. Alot of my famile blams the men that picked the woman up that night and we also belive that if the police would’nt have chased her orthrown out the spike strips that she would’nt have ran an hit my uncle that morning. The way me and my family look at it is that it was just a truck im not saying it was wrong for the police to chase her thats their job and she stole a vehicle and thats a crime but from what we heard from the reoprts the police acted like she had murdered someone.my family isen’t saying the police department should be charged but we wanted them to over look their chase poicey because there should be certain rule for different situations.
U,KNOW I JUST DO NOT BELIEVE COPS CHASE SOME ONE FOR A STOLEN VEHICLE I MEAN WHEN U GET UP TO A CEARTIN SPEED STOP.I FEEL FOR THE FAMILTY AND I HOPE THEY GET JUSTICE.....
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Posted by peggy hunter, daytona on 01/08 at 11:18 AM
my heart goes out to this family along with many prayers.i hope justice will be served…