Photo by: Thomas Petry, 55 (Volusia County Corrections)
A Volusia County man will spend 37 years in prison after leaving the scene of a wrong-way crash that killed three people in 2022, one of them a social media influencer, court records show.
Thomas Petry, 55, of Orange City, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to charges of reckless driving with serious bodily injury, leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury and three counts each of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash with death.
Investigators say Petry was driving his pickup truck the wrong way along State Road 44 in December 2022 before colliding with a speeding car and leaving the scene by the time first responders arrived. He was arrested in April 2023.
The driver of the other vehicle — Devin Perkins, 24, of New Smyrna Beach — was also arrested in connection to the crash. After a five-day trial, a Volusia County jury found Perkins guilty of three counts of vehicular homicide and reckless driving with serious bodily injury.
According to Perkins’ charging affidavit, his route to the crash site began at a bar and spanned about 37.5 miles, on which Perkins averaged a speed of 97 mph. Perkins was not only accused of driving at least 30-40 mph above relevant posted speed limits in Orange and Volusia counties, but it was also alleged that blood testing revealed he was driving under the influence of alcohol and THC.
The wrong-way crash killed a 20-year-old woman, a 25-year-old man and 21-year-old Alexandra Dulin, known by her fans and on social media as Ali Spice. Dulin had garnered about 1 million followers between TikTok and Instagram before her death.
In court, a Volusia judge heard from Dulin’s mother, father and brother — as well as another victim’s mother who spoke first — all of them imploring the judge to set Perkins’ bond.
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Source: Clickorlando
