A Villager’s 50-year-old daughter was arrested at a local hospital after crashing a Buick in the front yard of a home in The Villages.
Pamela Diane Hess, 50, was transported by ambulance to UF Health-Leesburg Hospital after crashing a red Buick LaCrosse Wednesday morning on Hillsborough Trail, according to an arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol. When an investigator arrived on the scene, he noted “heavy damage” to the front end of the Buick which had been involved in a single-vehicle accident. The vehicle was being hooked up to a tow truck when the FHP trooper arrived on the scene. The driver, who had already been transported to the hospital, was identified as Hess, who lives with her mother at 1221 Allaire Loop in the Village of Fernandina.
The investigator went to the hospital and when he arrived there, he was advised by dispatch there had been another crash location. The first accident had occurred at a home on Ladd Court, not far from where Hess resides. The front bumper was still on the lawn and the vehicle had knocked over a light pole at the home. She apparently fled the scene of that crash.
The Missouri native’s actions led the investigator to believe that Hess was under the influence. During an interview at the hospital, Hess admitted she had taken several medications prior to the crash. She provided a breath sample that indicated she had not consumed alcohol. She also provided a urine sample. A check revealed she had been driving on a suspended license.
Hess was arrested on charges of hit and run, driving under the influence and driving while license suspended. She was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center on $5,500 bond.
Hess had been arrested when she was driving the same red Buick in 2020 and got confused by the red button at an entry gate in The Villages.