A Lady Lake man won’t be prosecuted in the death of a woman he had dragged with his pickup truck.
The prosecutor’s office announced last week that charges of vehicular homicide and driving under the influence will not be pursued against 34-year-old Timothy Joseph Decker, according to Lake County Court records.
“Investigation did not produce evidence sufficient to prove guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,” State Attorney William Gladson said in making the announcement.
Decker had been free on $60,000 bond. His bond money has been refunded.
Decker was arrested Jan. 20 on a warrant charging him in the June 15, 2020 death of 27-year-old Stevie Danielle Carmichael of Eustis.
They had been at the Copperhead Lodge Saloon on June 14, 2020 in Leesburg when witnesses saw them arguing, according to the 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.
In her obituary, Carmichael was described as “a Bartender and a Free Spirit who found her peace at the ocean.”