Middle school teacher arrested for vehicular homicide of Newberry woman and her unborn baby in 2024 crash
Staff report
NEWBERRY, Fla. – Carrie Janeene Russell, 46, a teacher at Oak View Middle School, has been arrested and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide for allegedly swerving into oncoming traffic and hitting a pickup truck driven by a 29-year-old pregnant Newberry woman in February 2024; the pregnant woman was pronounced deceased after being transported to an emergency room.
Alachua County Public Schools spokeswoman Jackie Johnson said Russell was placed on administrative leave yesterday.
At about 7:38 p.m. on February 16, a pickup truck driven by a 29-year-old Newberry woman was traveling northbound on U.S. Hwy 27/45 when witnesses said an SUV, traveling southbound, crossed the center line and was three feet into the northbound lane when it hit the pickup truck head-on. Russell was later identified as the driver of the SUV.
A comprehensive drug and alcohol screen was conducted on Russell, and the results reportedly showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.11/100mL, higher than the legal limit of 0.08/100mL, along with 57ng/mL for amphetamine. A blood sample from the victim, collected during the autopsy, was negative for alcohol or drugs.
The Florida Highway Patrol investigation concluded that Russell was solely responsible for the crash and the death of the woman and her unborn child, as well as the damage to both vehicles.
Russell has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide. She has no criminal history, and Judge James Colaw ordered bail set at $500,000. Judge Colaw also ordered that she be fitted with a transdermal alcohol detection device and surrender her passport to her attorney.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Be careful all you who are quick to judge and condemn this woman. Many of us- maybe most of us- have at one time or another driven under the influence. This could be many of us. I can only imagine the agony she has gone through, right alongside the agony of the victims’ family. I pray for peace and the healing of Jesus to all involved.
She needs to be punished according to the law. I don’t think anyone is proposing stoning her for being an improper woman, which is what that passage of scripture is about. She killed a woman and her unborn baby.
Let he who hath no sin cast the first stone. This story speaks to not only the adulterous woman in the Bible, but for countless other modern situations like this one here. She will serve years in prison, yes, but she is also worthy of God’s love and mercy and ultimate forgiveness.
Again, no one is talking about stoning her. “Hurtful words” is not the same thing at all – unless you are a modern-day lib pig who wants to control everyone’s speech. Words don’t matter.
I think u should treat this case like all the rest u comment on. She did the crime lock her up let her do the time!!!
I have never driven under the influence, but I do feel sadness for her as well as the two whose lives were lost.
pray all you want, big waste of time, this person was high on meth and alcohol and killed two people, what if that was your kid and unborn grandchild? bet you sing a different tune
JFC. You do realize that “Amphetamine” in her system means she was probably taking prescribed Adderall for ADHD
You’re being presumptuous because you don’t really know what was in her system
Amen to that ! And guess what it isn’t her first time . She just was never caught .
There’s no one judging her but right is right and wrong is wrong and she was wrong she knew not to get under the wheel when she was under the influence she killed someone and that person was pregnant
Tragedy all the way around and I’m in no way minimalizing it, but a little surprised at the two counts seeing as how many liberals don’t recognize an unborn child.
That’s always puzzled me.
I am a liberal and I recognize how precious unborn children are.
When the life of the unborn child threatens the life of the mother, however, I see a nuanced situation.
If I hadn’t been able to have a safe abortion with my first (very much wanted) pregnancy, I could have had a late-term miscarriage that, at a minimum, would have left me unable to have more children and, at a maximum, could have killed me. Either way, the fetus wouldn’t have survived past birth.
The decision to have a safe abortion meant I was able to go on to have two healthy, wonderful children.
That’s my own personal nuanced situation in which the decision was left to me and my husband, with guidance from our doctors. There are a million more nuanced situations that happen every day in our nation and people who think they should have a say in what happens to other people’s bodies should step back and mind their own business.
As you stated, “your personal nuanced decision.”
Glad you were able to overcome your first bout and able to conceive 2 healthy children. Unfortunately, I believe there’s far more people who choose to end an unborn child’s life to prevent too much of an impact on their lives. It likely has more to do with poor choices than it does criminal acts.
That’s just my opinion though. Seeing as how there’s 17 👎🏻s, there’s likely many more like yourself or just a bunch of hypocrites. Either there’s a baby in there or there isn’t. Given many liberals’ alphabet these days, I guess it is difficult to decide.
Give her a** the death penalty
What is your problem?
we need to , as a society set some precedents
The usual suspect 🤷🏾♂️🤷🏾♂️
But as we know if that would have been a black woman, she would had life in prison without parole, and I don’t care who don’t like my comment!!!!
If a Black female teacher is given life with no chance of parole for this same crime, let me know and I will march with you
She blew a .11 after the accident. Let’s be real. That level is typically after 2 drinks. Not many here can say they haven’t driven after two drinks at a restaurant. Now whether or not her amphetamines were her on Rx or not, that remains to be seen but obviously they shouldn’t be mixed with alcohol. Report also stated she was swerving prior to this. Maybe she was just a lightweight and it was the alcohol. Maybe she was texting. Maybe it was both.
At the end of the day, she screwed up and it’s cost two lives. She’s a great teacher and the kids love her.
I do wish they would have charged her earlier with at least DUI and then increased the charges after the investigations were complete because then ACPS could have put her on leave sooner.
You make some good comments, but I must address one thing. The average drink will put you at .02. That being said, it takes an average of 4 drinks to reach the .08 legal limit threshold. So she had to have drank more than 2 drinks.
I notice a softer tone when it’s not one of the dregs of society.
Another case of a bad decision, a stupid one, having a devasting impact on not one, but multiple lives.
There’s only one who can provide comfort to all in this time of despair and need. Best those affected get on their knees and seek that comfort and healing.
ACPS pulls the wool over our eyes again. Approved for compassionate leave by ACPS and employees like me actually donated our own leave time to her while she laid around recovering at home after she took 2 innocent lives. ACPS: They lie, They cheat, They steal
Wow. I mean, I get why they can’t tell you why she was out – that was private until it wasn’t. But I would also feel more than a little used at finding out the truth if I had donated leave time to her.
Her conscience should have kept her from taking any donated leave, given this situation. Although her conscience wasn’t working too well when she decided to get behind the wheel when she was drunk.
Sad all the way around but at the end of the day, you do the crime, you do the time. This is a perfect, yet horrific example of why you should not drink and drive. We all know it, most of us probably have done it and some will continue to do it…..but this is the risk taken. DUI is often a career for some, so I’m all for harsh penalties. Prayers for the family of the victims.
Shocking tone difference here considering at minimum this is a teacher, high on drugs and alcohol, who then took an innocent life (and her unborn child).
If her color or ethnicity were different y’all would be screaming to send her back, etc. Here you want to pray and think of her family and her struggles.
Too bad. This drug abusing teacher who killed a woman has no reason being allowed to walk freely.
“High on drugs?” That’s quite the allegation. By your definition, I drive “high on drugs” every single day, because I take prescribed Adderall, which shows up as “Amphetamine” in a blood test.
I will tell you, that if she has ADHD like me, then the most-likely prescribed “Amphetamine” in her system makes her more alert, not less.
Her deadly error while driving was because of being over the legal limit with alcohol
I read through all the comments and believe me when I say there’s nobody judging her but she did a horrible thing and she knew better than getting under the wheel while under the influence not only did she kill a woman but she killed a woman that was pregnant. We don’t know if the lady was black or white that passed away and it really doesn’t matter of the color but I do have a question and I’m not racist by a long shot because my Son was married to a Beautiful young lady that was white and they have a beautiful Daughter who is now 4 years old but both of her parents passed away together in 2022 at the same time. But my question is if it was a black woman who committed the crime would y’all be speaking about God how y’all are doing this lady?. What y’all not realizing that she killed a woman and her unborn child. for y’all realizing that it was also an unborn child. I’m not here to judge anyone because my life itself is not perfect but right is right and wrong is wrong and she most definitely was wrong. My heart goes out to Everyone that was involved it goes out to her for deciding to make a stupid decision that caused two people lives and My heart definitely goes out to the victims and the victims Family.
Yes, I would have sympathy for the lady, who made a fatal error in judgement, regardless of skin tone. One can have sympathy for her, while condemning her actions, as well as the actions of anyone who gets behind the wheel of a car after drinking like she did.
While I have never gotten behind the wheel of a car while inebriated, I didn’t do enough when I was young to stop others from doing so. Any of these people could have just as easily killed someone like this woman.
This woman destroyed 3 lives with her horrible decision
Gotta do the time. God will punish you accordingly