BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A Mercedes driver was arrested this week after a getaway along Interstate 95 led to three people being killed in a crash last week, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Troopers said that the driver — identified as Vernon Hodges, 41, of Sebastian — was fleeing from troopers and crashed into two vehicles parked on the shoulder of the I-95 exit ramp to King Street near Cocoa on March 28.
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Per the FHP, Hodges had three passengers in the Mercedes: two women and a man. All three were pronounced dead at the scene.
The passengers were identified as follows:
- Alicia Marie Carter, 31, of Melbourne
- Eleasya Janee Fulton, 24, of Palm Bay
- Leon Holmes, 41, of Vero Beach
Meanwhile, Hodges and a pedestrian at the scene were taken to the hospital, though Hodges was later discharged on March 31 and taken into custody, troopers announced.
But in an affidavit released on Thursday, investigators revealed that Hodges had been caught speeding at around 100 mph on the highway.
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In addition, troopers said that the tag on Hodges’ Mercedes matched that of a green pickup truck. As a result, troopers gave chase.
“Sgt. Hildreth stated he could not see the occupants as the windows were ‘blacked out,‘” the affidavit reads. “Sgt. Hildreth stated the driver was pointing out the window, but he was not sure what the driver was attempting to communicate.”
Troopers said that Hodges was seen making an “obscene gesture and then waiving forward” before accelerating to 110 mph.
However, as the Mercedes exited at Exit 201, it struck two tow trucks parked on the shoulder of the ramp.
At the time, a 39-year-old Palm Bay man was underneath one of the trucks while hooking it up to the other one, a crash report shows. He was seriously injured, according to the FHP.
After the crash, detectives found an empty beer bottle in the car, and medical staff at the hospital smelled alcohol on Hodges while treating him, investigators said.
Furthermore, detectives said that Hodges had two prior convictions for DUI and five prior convictions for driving with a suspended license. At the time of the crash, his license had been revoked.
Hodges now faces the following charges:
- Reckless driving — Property Damage/Personal Injury
- Reckless Driving — Serious Bodily Injury
- DUI — Unlawful BAC of 0.08 or Higher
- DUI — Damage to Property/Person
- DUI — Serious Bodily Injury to Another
- DUI — Causing Death to Human/Unborn Child
- Fleeing From and Attempting to Elude Law Enforcement
- Aggravated Fleeing From and Attempting to Elude, High Rate of Speed
- Aggravated Fleeing From and Attempting to Elude, High Rate of Speed with Death
- No Valid Driver’s License with Death and/or SBI (4 counts)
- Capital Felony Murder (3 counts)
- Vehicular Homicide (3 counts)
He is held without bond.
