A Lady Lake man has been charged in a woman’s death after witnesses saw him dragging her with his pickup in the parking lot of a local bar.
Timothy Joseph Decker, 33, of 206 Hawthorne Ave., was arrested this past week on a warrant charging him with DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide in the June 15 death of 27-year-old Stevie Danielle Carmichael of Eustis.
They had been at the Copperhead Lodge Saloon in Leesburg on June 14 in Leesburg when witnesses saw them arguing, according to a Lake County arrest warrant. Decker got into a truck and would not allow Carmichael in the front passenger door. While she was holding onto the vehicle, Decker accelerated and began spinning the tires in an effort to make Carmichael let go. He began to drive across the parking lot, pulling Carmichael along with the truck. She tripped and was run over by the vehicle’s right rear wheel. Witnesses said he initially drove away, but quickly returned to the parking lot. Bystanders called 911. Some of the witnesses said the mishap did not seem intentional, but they also said that it appeared Decker had too much to drink.
A Florida Highway Patrol investigator went to Ace’s Towing in Leeburg where Decker’s pickup had been impounded and found a half empty can of raspberry-flavored White Claw Hard Seltzer in the truck’s center cup holder. Toxicology reports confirmed that both Decker and Carmichael had alcohol in their systems.
The arrest warrant was issued Jan. 8. Decker was arrested at 11:50 a.m. Wednesday at his home.
The New Jersey native was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $60,000 bond.
In her obituary, Carmichael was described as “a Bartender and a Free Spirit who found her peace at the ocean.” Memorials in her name were encouraged to www.projectaware.org for ocean conservation.
