After months of looking and weeks of waiting, Samuel Joseph Tucker is in the Highlands County Jail. Tucker is wanted in connection with a June 2017 traffic accident that claimed the life of 22-year-old Alyssia Kay Vice.
Tucker allegedly was at the wheel of a Maserati that went out of control on State Road 17, hit a power pole and a fence, then overturned repeatedly. He reportedly measured twice the legal level in a blood/alcohol test following the incident.
He was located in Ireland and after a court battle, was extradited back to the United States.
A Sebring man died Saturday afternoon when he apparently lost control of his pickup truck. Killed was 49-year-old Lloyd Wofford jr. Florida Highway Patrol reports indicate he went off Carol Shelby Boulevard, hit a fence, spun, then flipped several times.
Troopers say he was not buckled up. Wofford was pronounced dead at the scene.
An accident in Lake Placid Saturday morning resulted in death for one man and the hospital for another. 22-year-old Uriel Martinez of Immokalee died when the pickup he was in went out of control and rolled. FHP troopers say the driver, Abel Bernardo Cornejo failed to make a curve on Placid Lakes Boulevard – he was critically injured in the mishap. They say both he and Martinez were wearing their safety belts.
Charges in that incident are pending further investigation.
It’s that time of year again, the Cracker Trail Riders are on the road. The procession on horseback and in wagons has made its way into Hardee County on their annual cross-state treck. The ride was made to re-create the route taken by historic Florida cowmen on their way home from driving their herd to the Gulf for pickup.
The riders are slated to make their annual crossing of Highway 27 here in Highlands County on Wednesday at noon. The ceremony marks the halfway point in the ride.