Southpinellas: Fatal I-275 crash ends evasion

ST. PETERSBURG - Early Sunday, the green Ford Escort drove straight at a marked police cruiser, forcing the officer to swerve out of the way.

Three days later, the same car sped toward another marked cruiser, but the officer avoided a crash, police said.

Each time, police pursued the Escort but abandoned the chase because of safety concerns.

Around 2:14 a.m. Wednesday, the Escort's evasion of the law came to a tragic end.

After driving the wrong way on Interstate 275 for nearly two miles, it smashed into a 1988 maroon Toyota Camry. The crash injured the two men in the Escort and seriously injured the driver of the Camry, 17-year-old Mary Cornell. Cornell's 22-year-old brother, Steven, was killed.

Charles Hicks, 32, who was behind the wheel of the Escort on Wednesday, faces at least two counts of aggravated assault, police said. They are still investigating and might recommend additional charges.

Hicks has a long criminal record that includes arrests on charges of aggravated assault with a motor vehicle and cocaine possession.

He does not have a valid driver's license and has lost his license several times for violations such as fleeing from police officers, leaving crash scenes and accumulating excessive points.

The 1996 Ford Escort he was driving is registered to a 35-year-old Pinellas Park woman. Police say the car was not reported stolen, though they are still investigating.

St. Petersburg police have a conservative pursuit policy that allows officers to pursue only people who might be responsible for violent felonies. They can break off pursuits if they're concerned that a chase could jeopardize other drivers.

"Pursuits are dangerous," police spokesman Bill Proffitt said. "That's why we have a strict policy."

The department reviews all pursuits. Proffitt said the preliminary information suggests that the officers involved followed department policies.

Under Florida law, 17-year-olds like Mary Cornell are not allowed to drive between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. unless there is a licensed driver at least 21 years old in the passenger seat or they are driving to or from work.

Cornell has a valid driver's license, but it is unclear where she was coming from or where she was going. Her brother, Steven, did not have a valid license. A family member said Steven graduated from Seminole High and was attending St. Petersburg College, where Mary was also a student. The Cornell family declined to comment further.

Times researchers Shirl Kennedy and Carolyn Edds contributed to this report. Abhi Raghunathan can be reached at araghunathan@sptimes.com or 727 893-8472.

Share your thoughts on this story

Read our guidelines for comments

Comments on this article

by Cat Thomas	10/04/07 06:11 PM
This thug should have murder charges against him.

by Cathy	09/28/07 11:18 AM
Why is it that a great kid, who loved his life and his family has to lose his life because some sub-human, whose parents shouldn't even have been allowed to breed, is even on the street? What a waste of resources.

by Eric	09/27/07 04:33 PM
Great job St.Pete POlice. Chase these idiots so they can kill innocent people. BRILLIANT.

by Ginny	09/27/07 03:07 PM
My heart aches terribly for Steven & Marybeth, their parents, and other family members. Steven will be deeply missed by the many people who loved him.

by Sandra	09/27/07 02:43 PM
Tim - Minor offender?! He tried to kill 3 police officers on 3 separate occasions. It was His actions of going the wrong way down 275, not the police's that killed the kid. Poor family.

by Rickster	09/27/07 12:59 PM
From what I understand, the police did not chase this vehicle very far, the vehicle charged at an officer and took off. SPPD couldn't follow him the wrong way on 275. The PD did the right thing and unfortunately someone died. Was other car's fault.

by Jeremiah	09/27/07 12:10 PM
I knew Steven. He was a good kid. My thoughts and prayers are with his family right now as well as with the rest of the people who knew him. I only knew Steven for a short time as a co-worker and his manager, but he will be missed.

by check	09/27/07 11:38 AM
Hicks was charged with vehicular homicide. No idea why they're waiting so long to let it be known. (See his charges on Pinellas County Sheriff's website. ALSO Aggravated assault on two police officers isn't "MINOR."

by Concerned Citizen	09/27/07 10:49 AM
Why weren't stop sticks used? And the Sheriff's helicopter would certainly have come in handy. This sounds like more justification to replace SPPD with PCSO and quickly before more of us are victimized in Uhuruland. Do the right thing Mr. Baker.

by Karl	09/27/07 10:39 AM
The St. Pete Police Department has the MOST restrictive "chase" policy in the region. The criminals know this and the results are what you would expect.

by Don	09/27/07 09:27 AM
Hey Tim, Minor offender? Did I read the same article as you? He tried to run over or off the road several cops.Your comment was just a joke right?

by carl	09/27/07 09:21 AM
Hicks better get a life sentence, for taking someone else's. Also how could you blame the police for him driving the wrong way on the interstate? This PC is getting ridiculous.

by Mary	09/27/07 09:09 AM
Bad guys do this kind of thing...because no one repects the cops anymore, they are either crooked,abusive,or unduly suspicious!! In the old days cops were here to help you, they believed you when you told the truth & didn't think they were God!!

by Mike	09/27/07 09:04 AM
Tim, what article are you reading. If they had pursued him during the first chase, he wouldn't have had a chance to kill anyone!

by Steven	09/27/07 09:01 AM
Hey, Tim, it's not the cops fault, it's the loser that taunted cops numerous times. The sooner he got caught the better. It is tragic that an innocent had to die. Do you really think the cops pursued him the wrong way on I-275? Vehicular homicide.

by Mom	09/27/07 08:42 AM
The police were not chasing the Ford Escort at the time of the crash, more like he was driving stupid the whole time on his own. It is not law enforcements fault that this man chose to act as he did. May his life be made miserable in prison.

by Alex	09/27/07 08:40 AM
Tim, "minor offender"? Read the article again. The guy's a thug. The cops did everything right. Too bad this punk will be out on the streets again within a year.

by Wood	09/27/07 08:34 AM
The innocent youngster was killed by an habitual violator who should be charged with murder. The fact that the police are not allowed to pursue encourages this type of person to run away. Let the police do their job. Make eluding penalties severe!

by FT	09/27/07 08:34 AM
The perp in this case is no minor offender. He threated police several times, and has now killed someone. He is the one responsible, not the police, and I hope he is chaged with murder.

by Dave	09/27/07 08:25 AM
Tim, how about this: if you try to run over someone and then run from police, they are permitted to use deadly force to stop you. Watch how fast all these thugs and basically evil people disappear.

by cindy	09/27/07 07:55 AM
Hicks needs to be executed. He is no use to society.

by Kenneth	09/27/07 07:54 AM
Tim - I think that police should be allowed to use more aggressive tactics in bringing a suspect car to a stop, not excluding firing upon it. Maybe if they had done that the first two times, this accident wouldn't have happened.

by Harold	09/27/07 07:49 AM
Every time we have a case like this, the police stopped pursuing moments before, because it was too dangerous. Yeah, right.

by AC	09/27/07 07:43 AM
The criminal lives and costs us more tax dollars. The story of our live anymore.Why was he out of Prison? Again, 12% of population committing 95% of the crime and an innocent person dies.My condolences to the Cornell family. God be with you.

by Mack	09/27/07 07:02 AM
What 17 yr old gets off work at 2 am? Since her brother does not hold a liscense,she was driving illegally.This does not discount the criminal act by Hicks.They need to bury him under the jail,but this was definately avoidable.Follow laws!

by Val	09/27/07 06:57 AM
What was a 17 yr old doing griving around at 2:15 am?Nothing good ever comes out of being out and about at that time of the morning.It is tragic,but begs the question why?

by darryl	09/27/07 06:17 AM
aggravated assault?Its more like a homacide.someone was killed.Its really ashame when someone Innocent dies not knowing whats going on until its to late.we know we are gonna die one day.Its sad when its something we would never thought would happen.

by Carl	09/27/07 06:01 AM
And the human piece of garbage that caused this actually lived. Too bad. The wrong person dies and got seriously injured. The piece of garbage that caused this should have still been in jail anyway.

by Carol	09/27/07 05:59 AM
Why don't the bad guys ever die....

by steve	09/27/07 05:47 AM
Hicks just another piece of dirt that ruined someone elses life. Let me guess his father abused him? This scum will get his when he meets his maker!

by tim	09/27/07 01:47 AM
Another innocent youngster is killed because the police chased a minor offender. How about this: Any police office involved in a fatal car wreck is never allowed to drive a city/county vehicle again. Watch how fast they break off the pursuits then.

Fatal I-275 crash ends evasion

For several days before the wrong-way crash, officers said the same car threatened them.