1A Belleview man was arrested on a warrant last week for a 2023 DUI crash that left a juvenile hospitalized with a broken leg.
On the night of April 14, 2023, an officer with the Leesburg Police Department responded to an accident in front of 1400 W. North Blvd, according to an affidavit of probable cause out of Lake County. Dispatch advised that the caller stated a single vehicle had crashed into the palm trees in the median of the roadway. Upon arrival, the officer met 48-year-old Andrew Christopher Collier sitting in the driver’s seat of the vehicle.
Collier moved erratically while sitting in the vehicle and could not explain what happened, only stating his ankle hurt from the crash. He was breathing heavily and excessively sweating. His body shook, and he could not answer basic questions asked by officers on scene. He also had scabs and marks on his body indicative of narcotics use, which made it apparent he was likely under the influence of illegal narcotics during the traffic crash, the affidavit said.
EMS then arrived and began applying medical aid to Collier. EMS personnel independently observed him and advised that they believed he was under the influence of narcotics, as well. He was taken by EMS to UF Health Leesburg Hospital, located at 600 E. Dixie Ave., and given a uniform traffic citation for failing to maintain the vehicle in a single lane, the affidavit said.
A juvenile was located in the vehicle’s left rear seat. They were in an appropriate car seat, but it had already been removed from the vehicle, so an officer could not confirm if it was secured properly. EMS personnel conducted a medical evaluation of the juvenile and found they sustained a broken leg from the crash. The juvenile was taken to UF Health Leesburg Hospital before being flown to the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children Trauma Center, located at 92 W. Miller Street, the affidavit said.
Meanwhile, an officer stayed with Collier at the hospital while medical personnel treated him. He seemed unconcerned when informed of the injuries sustained by the juvenile. Medical personnel and the officer tried to speak with him in an effort to interview him, but he was erratic. Medical personnel at the hospital advised that Collier possibly sustained a fracture on his foot, the affidavit said.
An investigative subpoena was completed based on the officer’s observations and suspicion for the purpose of determining if Collier was driving under the influence of illegal narcotics at the time of the crash. On June 9, 2023, he received the results of Collier’s toxicology report, which showed he tested positive for amphetamine, the affidavit said.
Collier was ultimately arrested on the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 30, in Marion County on a Lake County warrant charging him with DUI (accident with serious injuries) and child abuse (aggravated negligence). He was transferred earlier this month to Marion County Jail with bond set at $7,000.
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Source: leesburg-news
