Deputy killed in I-75 crash; driver charged with DUI manslaughter

UPDATE (11/23/22) : The 23-year-old Deputy has been identified to as Christopher Taylor.

Original Reporting Continues Below.

A 23-year-old Charlotte County Sheriff's deputy was killed after being hit by a motorist on I-75 during a traffic stop Tuesday night.

The crash happened just south of US-17 around 8:45 p.m., according to a Florida Highway Patrol narrative.

FHP says a Jeep SUV was traveling north on I-75 when it lost control and entered the northbound paved shoulder, where the deputy and a third vehicle were engaged in a traffic stop.

The Jeep hit the back of the unoccupied deputy's vehicle, which then hit the deputy and the third vehicle.

Sheriff Bill Prummell says the deputy was taken to Shorepoint Health in Punta Gorda and later died from their injuries.

The driver of the third vehicle was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries. The single passenger in that vehicle was not injured.

The driver of the Jeep, 30-year-old Cassandra Smith from Lakeville, Mass., was placed under arrest for DUI manslaughter and is being booked in the Charlotte County Jail. Smith was expected to make a first appearance later Wednesday morning, but the court bailiff tells us it has been rescheduled for Thursday morning.

The northbound I-75 lanes were closed north of Jones Loop for several hours but had reopened to traffic by 5:30 a.m.

The deputy has not been identified. FHP says the investigation is ongoing.

This is only the sixth line-of-duty death of a Charlotte County deputy on record.

Law enforcement departments from Lee, DeSoto, and Sarasota have been among those offering condolences to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office in dealing with their loss.