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Ditek executive gets probation in hit-run
The head of the electronics company must also pay restitution to the injured man whose van was broad-sided.
By CHRIS TISCH
Published March 23, 2005
LARGO - The chief executive and chairman of the board of electronics manufacturer Ditek Inc. of Largo pleaded no contest Tuesday to a charge that he left the scene of a car accident last year.
Robert D. McIntyre, 58, was sentenced to three years of probation after his plea in court Tuesday morning. Judge Phil Federico also ordered him to pay restitution to the victim of the hit-and-run.
McIntyre was arrested in October after the State Attorney's Office issued a capias - which is much like a warrant - for his arrest. Clearwater police had referred the case to prosecutors after the crash.
According to an arrest report, McIntyre was driving a Jeep on Island Way on Aug. 16 when he ran a red light and broad-sided a Chrysler van at Windward Passage. The driver of the van, John A. Carey, 84, was transported to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was treated for a hematoma on his spleen, reports state.
The Jeep did not stop after the crash, but a cabdriver who saw the crash followed it. The cabdriver called police. Pinellas sheriff's deputies pulled the Jeep over in Indian Rocks Beach, about 7 miles from the crash.
Though the crash caused major damage to both vehicles, McIntyre told police that he had been in a "fender-bender" and the other driver had left the scene, arrest reports state.
Clearwater police took McIntyre into custody, but he complained of feeling ill and was hospitalized. Officers then referred the case to prosecutors.
McIntyre is the co-founder of Ditek, a multimillion-dollar Largo company that makes electronic surge protectors. McIntyre also is known for his efforts in local philanthropies and community service organizations. In 2001, the Greater Largo Chamber of Commerce named McIntyre its citizen of the year.
He also was arrested in 1984 for driving under the influence and sentenced to probation.
[Last modified March 23, 2005, 00:55:18]
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