St. Petersburg woman charged in DUI death

She is accused of running over a Baltimore man who was changing a tire on the shoulder of I-275 in March.

By LEANORA MINAI

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 10, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- In town for a college friend's wedding, Todd Norris and his girlfriend were driving to their St. Pete Beach hotel when they got a flat tire on Interstate 275.

Norris pulled the sport-utility vehicle onto the shoulder and slid under the truck. His girlfriend snapped pictures in the dark, trying to turn a hassle into fun.

"We were taking some pictures and listening to the radio," said his girlfriend, Leahanne Merritt, 31, of Baltimore. Suddenly, she heard a "whoosh." A Pontiac swerved across several lanes and ran over Norris' legs and pelvis. Norris, 32, also of Baltimore, was pronounced dead at the accident scene March 10.

The Florida Highway Patrol last week charged the driver of the Pontiac, Tina Marie Wardrep of St. Petersburg, with DUI-manslaughter.

A blood-alcohol test indicated that Wardrep's level was 0.16, twice the limit at which the law presumes drivers are impaired, according to the FHP.

Wardrep, 34, was released from the Pinellas County Jail after posting bail Thursday. She could not be reached for comment.

Norris was hit about 1:30 a.m. March 10 as he changed the vehicle's right rear tire on the shoulder of the southbound lane, near the exit for 38th Avenue N.

FHP investigators said Wardrep was driving south on I-275 when she swerved off the road and struck Norris.

Her 1997 Pontiac also struck the side of the GMC, ripping off two of its doors. The Pontiac then hit a light pole and guardrail. Wardrep suffered bumps to the head and a knee and was treated at the scene.

Two months later, Norris' family and friends still can't accept his death. They've retained an attorney to pursue civil damages.

"Todd was the love of my life, and I don't know how you ever replace that," Ms. Merritt said Tuesday. "I still keep waiting for him to walk in the door."

She held his hand that night and rubbed his cheek, promising everything would be okay. "Because I honestly thought it was," Ms. Merritt said.

But paramedics told her there was nothing more they could do. She closed his eyes and helped pull the sheet over his head.

A pharmacist, Norris was an avid golfer and liked to read several books at a time. He had five brothers and sisters and three nieces and nephews.

He had recently moved back to Baltimore from Las Vegas to be closer to his father after his mother died of cancer.

He struck up a romance with Ms. Merritt, his best friend of 15 years. He was like a father to her 4-year-old daughter, Remy.

For Christmas, he bought them a video camera and recorded walks with their basset hound, Elvis. He also caught on tape their dancing to disco and funk on New Year's Eve. "Everywhere he went, everybody remembered him," his girlfriend said. "He was funny. He was fun. He could make sweeping out the garage a great time."

-- Times researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report.

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