Woman Arrested After Alleged DUI Crash Kills Toll Booth Worker on Volusia County Beach, Sheriff Says
Investigators say 911 callers reported an erratic driver about 10 minutes before the crash, and a warrant now seeks a vehicular homicide charge.
- On Wednesday, Volusia County sheriff's deputies arrested Deanna Harrell, 35, on warrants for vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter following Monday's fatal crash that killed toll booth attendant Tammie Jo Baker.
- Before the collision, multiple callers reported a 'very drunk driver' traveling erratically; witnesses said the truck 'almost hit several cars, a mailbox, ran into a trash can' minutes before impact.
- Thirty-Five seconds after Baker entered the toll booth, the pickup struck at 40 mph, killing her on impact. Sheriff Mike Chitwood said, 'The thing to take away is, you're here and you're gone.'
- Following the crash, authorities placed Harrell under the Baker Act for psychiatric evaluation, but she was released before deputies secured an arrest warrant, prompting an active search Wednesday.
- Relatives and Daytona Beach Shores Mayor Nancy Miller gathered Tuesday at a vigil honoring Baker, a longtime toll booth employee, while Miller urged drivers to 'slow down' at the beach ramp.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Driver's slow work day ends with killing woman in beach tollbooth: Sheriff
DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. (Court TV) — A Florida woman is behind bars after allegedly running through a beach tollbooth with her car, killing the person inside. Bodycam video shows Deanna Harrell being taken into custody on June 1, 2026. (Volusia County Sheriff’s Office) Deanna Harrell, 35, is charged with vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter in the death of Tammie Jo Baker, who was killed less than two weeks before her 63rd birthday. Volusi…
Woman arrested after alleged DUI crash kills toll booth worker on beach
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. (WESH) — A woman accused of crashing into a toll booth at a beach and killing the person inside was arrested, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Mike Chitwood said Deanna Harrell is now in custody with warrants for vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter. On Monday, Chitwood said he could smell alcohol inside Harrell’s vehicle, which had come to rest in the ocean water. The sheriff’s office released su…
Woman arrested, charged for deadly beach toll booth crash, sheriff says
A woman who had been released from a Baker Act detention was arrested and charged Wednesday in the death of a Volusia County beach toll booth taker during a Monday crash in Daytona Beach Shores.
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