Micanopy man sentenced to 6 months in jail, 5 years of probation for hitting pedestrians while driving under the influence of alcohol

Staff report

MICANOPY, Fla. – Steven Arthur Collins, 72, has been sentenced to 180 days in jail, followed by five years of probation, after pleading nolo contendere to driving under the influence with serious bodily injury and leaving the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury.

On July 29, 2023, a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper responded to a report of a hit and run in which two pedestrians were hit on SE CR 234 near SE 73rd Drive. The pedestrians flagged down a passing car, and the driver of that car followed the white SUV that had hit them. The driver of the passing car found the SUV about 500 yards down the road and reportedly took a video of the driver, later identified as Collins, getting out of the SUV and coming to speak with her. She advised Collins to return to the scene of the crash, and he reportedly complied but got back into his car at the scene of the crash and drove away again. He allegedly did not render aid to the victims or call emergency services. The driver of the passing car again followed him until Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies stopped his vehicle on the Archer Road exit ramp of I-75.

The trooper reported that he could smell alcohol on Collins’ breath and that Collins had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech “to where he was almost incoherent.” Collins reportedly told the trooper he was coming from “The Depot,” a sports bar in Micanopy, and headed home to his residence on SE CR 234. The trooper reported that Collins’ SUV had obvious signs of damage such as a missing passenger-side rearview mirror and a dent in the front passenger-side bumper.

One of the pedestrians suffered a broken pelvis, abdominal tear with bleeding, abrasions, and contusions; the other suffered abrasions and contusions.

On April 23, Collins entered a plea of nolo contendere to driving under the influence with serious bodily injury and leaving the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury; no formal charge of leaving the scene of a crash with bodily injury was filed, and the charge of DUI with bodily injury was dropped as part of the plea deal.

According to the plea document, the maximum sentence for the charges is 21 years. Judge David Kreider accepted the plea, which stipulated that Collins will serve 180 days in the County jail, with credit for 3 days served, followed by 60 months of probation; pay $8.247.20 restitution to one of the victims; obtain a substance abuse evaluation and follow any recommended treatment; have no contact with the victims; possess or use no alcohol or illegal drugs; submit to random screens for alcohol or drugs; attend DUI school; pay $2,779 in fines and courts costs; have his driver’s license suspended for six months; complete 50 hours of community service, including a Victim Impact Panel; have his vehicle impounded for 10 days; and put an ignition interlock device on his vehicle for six months.