A night out at a Sarasota bar has ended with a man dead and two people under arrest, after Florida troopers tied them to a fatal hit-and-run on U.S. 41 earlier this month.
The crash happened on April 12 near the Seminole Drive intersection in Sarasota County, when a pedestrian was struck while crossing the highway. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died. Investigators say the suspect vehicle was then stashed in a residential garage before troopers tracked it down and made arrests on April 30.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, as reported by Tampa Bay 28, the driver was identified as 59-year-old Joseph Younts and the passenger as 55-year-old Kelly Black. FHP says the pair had just left a Sarasota bar in a 2021 Jeep Wrangler, and that Younts was behind the wheel when the Jeep hit a 28-year-old man from Venice who was crossing U.S. 41 at Seminole Drive. Investigators allege Younts drove away after the collision and that the pedestrian later died at the hospital. Younts is charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death and tampering with evidence, while Black is charged with being an accessory after the fact.
What the law says
Under Florida law, leaving the scene of a crash that results in death is a first-degree felony with a mandatory minimum of four years in prison and a potential sentence of up to 30 years, as set out in Florida Statute 316.027. The statute also allows for restitution and a minimum license revocation in many cases. Tampering with or fabricating physical evidence is a third-degree felony under Florida Statute 918.13 and can carry a prison term of up to five years.
Hit-and-run trend in the region
Hit-and-run crashes have been a grim recurring theme across Sarasota and neighboring Manatee County this month. Troopers arrested a driver in a separate fatal I-75 crash in Manatee County earlier this week, as former Braves catcher busted reported. On April 29, the Florida Highway Patrol said a bicyclist was killed in Englewood in another hit-and-run that also led to an arrest, per WWSB. Authorities say dashcam video and public tips often play a key role in helping troopers find fleeing vehicles and close these cases.
The Florida Highway Patrol's Traffic Homicide Unit continues to investigate the Sarasota crash. More details on the arrests and charges were reported by Tampa Bay 28.
