A Wildwood man with a suspended license was arrested after he allegedly convinced his female passenger to switch seats with him following a three-vehicle crash on U.S. 301.
Tyler James Liccardi, 30, was arrested Tuesday morning on multiple charges, including felony driving while license suspended (third or subsequent offense), making a false report to police, operating a motor vehicle without a valid license and failing to have motor vehicle liability insurance.
The arrest stems from a crash that occurred at about 9:30 a.m. that day on U.S. 301 near Clay Drain Road in Wildwood. According to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department, Liccardi was driving a vehicle that was rear-ended and subsequently pushed into the vehicle in front of it.
While investigating the crash, an officer spoke to Liccardi, who claimed he had been sitting in the backseat. However, a witness told police they saw the male driver get out of the car and jump into the backseat while a female passenger moved into the driver’s seat.
The female passenger was later interviewed at the UF Health Emergency Room at Brownwood. After an officer read her Miranda warning, she admitted she had not been driving and confirmed Liccardi was behind the wheel.
The officer then confronted Liccardi, who confessed to driving the car. He told police he switched seats because he knew his license was suspended and he shouldn’t be driving.
A records check revealed Liccardi is classified as a habitual traffic violator with a lengthy history of suspensions and revocations for offenses including fleeing from law enforcement, controlled substance violations and failing to pay court fines. His Florida identification card has been canceled since 2019. Furthermore, the vehicle’s auto insurance policy had been canceled earlier this month for nonpayment.
Liccardi was medically cleared and booked into the Sumter County Detention Center on $9,500 bond.
He is no stranger to local law enforcement. Liccardi was arrested just last month after allegedly gashing a woman’s face during an altercation in his car near the Havana Country Club in The Villages.