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[Times art]
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| In the early morning of Sunday, Aug. 4, a car driven by William “Billy” Hughes crashed on U.S. 41 south of Floral City in Citrus County. Hughes was killed. So was his only passenger, Nicholas Osborne, age 4. Nicholas was the son of Hughes’ fiancee. |
Here are the basic details: |
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11-11:30 p.m. Aug. 3: Hughes and Nicholas leave Spring Hill. |
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12:30 a.m. Aug. 4: A Brooksville police officer pulls Hughes over at Jefferson Street and Alabama Avenue near downtown Brooksville. Hughes is driving the wrong way on Jefferson, and also driving with a suspended license. The officer calls a taxi, which picks up Hughes and the boy and leaves. |
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Hughes is belligerent and asks the taxi driver to leave him and the boy at the Hess station west of downtown Brooksville. |
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4-4:30 a.m.: The same Brooksville officer passes Hughes’ car at Jefferson Street and Early Street, just a few blocks from where he had stopped him hours earlier. The officer turns around to give chase, but Hughes’ car vanishes. It was headed north on U.S. 41. |
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6:30 a.m.: A motorist calls 911 to report a single-vehicle wreck at U.S. 41 south of Floral City. Firefighters say the crash happened hours earlier. Hughes and Osborne died on impact. |
| Sources: Florida Highway Patrol, Brooksville Police Department, court records, interviews |