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Teens charged in prank that turned deadly
A Volusia County police officer was killed in the resulting accident.
By STEPHANIE GARRY, Times Staff Writer
Published January 17, 2008
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Tyler Jenkins, 19, of St. Petersburg was charged with manslaughter.
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Katie Jo Peller, 19, of Deltona was charged with being an accessory after the fact.
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What started as a prank has ended with three teens charged with contributing to the death of a Volusia County police officer. Two were arrested in St. Petersburg on Tuesday night after the Florida Highway Patrol concluded the prank last year contributed to a crash that killed the officer. Troopers say three teenagers were involved in putting a plastic chair on Interstate 4 in Volusia County. Tyler Jenkins, 19, of 835 35th Ave. N was charged with manslaughter, and Katie Jo Peller, 19, of Deltona was charged with being an accessory after the fact. Jenkins was being held in the Pinellas County Jail on $25,000 bail Wednesday, and Peller was being held on $5,000 bail. Eric Benjamin Biggs, 18, of Deltona, was already in the Volusia County Juvenile Assessment Center. He was also charged with being an accessory, and has been placed on house arrest. The incident happened early on July 14. Longwood police Sgt. Karl Strohsal was eastbound in an unmarked police car on I-4 when he swerved to avoid the chair and smashed into the guardrail, said Sgt. Herb Stewartson of the Longwood police. As Strohsal, 58, crossed the dark road for the safety of the median, a 2005 Pontiac Vibe driven by Dwayne Love, then 19, of Orlando smashed into his car, killing him, said Kim Miller, a Highway Patrol spokeswoman. A blood sample from Love showed an alcohol reading above the level at which someone is presumed to be impaired under state law, Miller said. Love was charged with driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license, but not manslaughter because investigators couldn't prove he caused the death, Miller said. Aninvestigation concluded that Jenkins had intentionally left the chair in the road to cause trouble, and that Peller and Biggs had participated, Miller said. St. Petersburg police helped make the arrests, first visiting Jenkins' house. Relatives told them to try the Taco Bell at 3600 FourthSt. N, where the two teenagers worked. Police arrested Peller there, and Jenkins later turned himself in at the jail, Miller said. "Sgt. Strohsal was a member of our family," Stewartson said, adding that Strohsal had been with the department since 1989. "This is one of those things that helps us with closure."
[Last modified January 17, 2008, 01:11:18]
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by Another stupid person
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02/04/08 04:31 AM
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Your all a bunch of retards, wake up and realize what we are creating with our actions. The US is cramming so called "knowledge" in place of the common sense , which is all we really need to survive and live our life. All we need is love.
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by Kemo Sabe
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01/18/08 05:49 AM
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This is just the latest example of the continuing deterioration of this society. People have absolutely no regard for each other and lack the ability to see there are consequences for their actions. No empathy and reckless indifference are the norm.
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by justthinking
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01/17/08 06:06 PM
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The kid with too much alcohol in his system wouldn't have hit the cops car if it weren't for the other teens sticking the plastic chair in the road! Therefore, the kids putting the chair in the road WITH INTENT to cause trouble DID CAUSE the Death!!!
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by Renate
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01/17/08 04:43 PM
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Well,looks like most people make excuses for the kids.I hope none of those people have kids on their own,but I doubt it.Children are our future,forgive me but I'm scared.
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by Reeves
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01/17/08 04:31 PM
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Was the chair salvageable?
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by Ken
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01/17/08 12:53 PM
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Totally agree with arresting the teens - just can't quite buy letting the drunk off.
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by L. Ranger
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01/17/08 11:36 AM
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If it couldnt be proven that the drunk driver crashing into the officers car was the cause of death, how can it be proven that the teens putting a chair on the road were the cause of death?
to let the drunk go and charge the teens is just plain wrong
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by Patti
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01/17/08 11:22 AM
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These are GOOD kids I know them - but they pulled a REALLY STUPID prank that now they will have to live with for the rest of their lives. I do see Bill's point about the drunken driver going free - THAT FIGURES!!! Where is the justice?
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by CP
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01/17/08 11:04 AM
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I think the drunk driver should be the one charged with manslaughter. I don't see how the investigators couldn't prove he killed the officer, it was his car that hit and killed the officer.
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by Daily
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01/17/08 10:59 AM
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These teens should of known better..... The drunk driver should also be charged...
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by Bill
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01/17/08 08:24 AM
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Strange! A chair in the road caused the officer to crash into the guard rail, but a drunk driver was the one who hit the car and killed the officer not the teens. They may have caused the crash, but not the killing. Another drunk drive goes free
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by me
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01/17/08 07:25 AM
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AGAIN TEENS GONE WILD>>>THEY ARE THE SAME TYPES IN MY KID'S CLASSROOM....AND THE PARENTS CRY OUT...NOT MY CHILD!!..OF COURSE YOU HOVER PARENT IMBECILES..THE APPLE DOES NOT FALL FAR FROM THE TREE....IT'S GENETIC!!!
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by Joe
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01/17/08 06:32 AM
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That tyler kid sure could make a good taco.
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by Pete
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01/17/08 05:57 AM
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Thank you for letting me know where these idiots work. That's the last time I eat at Taco Bell. If they'll hire imbecils like this, what will they allow them do to the taco I order at the drive-thru?
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