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| James Buzzard |
Wanted driver found in Keys
By Ryan Smith, News-Leader
The Fernandina Beach man who was allegedly driving a car that killed a state road crew worker last month has been apprehended in the Florida Keys. He was not home and his whereabouts were unknown when police went to arrest him May 19.
James Stephen Buzzard, 59, 2809 Ocean Drive, was arrested last Friday morning in Plantation Key on a charge of DUI manslaughter. His bond is set at $500,002, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
The second-degree felony is punishable by up to a $10,000 fine and/or 15 years' imprisonment, according to Assistant State Attorney Wesley White, head of the Nassau County State Attorney's Office.
Although Buz-zard was clearly impaired, according to a city police officer at the accident scene, he was not arrested April 26 after his car struck 59-year-old road crew worker Harold Martens on South Fletcher Avenue. Martens died from his injuries two days later.
A toxicology report determined Buzzard's blood alcohol content was 0.35 the night of the accident, according to Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Bill Leeper. Driving under the influence is defined as 0.08 or higher.
"We could have picked him up that night, but now we have clear-cut toxicology reports," White said Monday.
"The moment he's picked up, (his right to a) speedy trial begins to run. We want to make sure all the charges are appropriate, and we want to do all the investigation in the background," White said. "Once someone's been charged, witnesses have the tendency to disappear or forget things. While an investigation is ongoing, good people tend to reach out to us and give us information."
White also scoffed at the notion that Buzzard could have evaded arrest - despite the fact that he was found about 450 miles from Fernandina Beach.
"(Florida Highway Patrol) Corporal Sonny Riles did an extraordinary job tracking him down, and the moment he got back the results he had him picked up," White said. "... There was never any question about whether this guy would be apprehended by the Florida Highway Patrol, so there was no immediate need to go against ordinary procedure and make sure the appropriate charges were filed.
"The chances of him getting away were slim to none, and I think slim already left town."
Leeper called the accident "alcohol-related" the day after the accident. Leeper and White said that Buzzard was not charged immediately because they were awaiting the outcome of the toxicology test, which would exactly determine his level of impairment.
According to an accident report written by a Fernandina Beach Police officer on the scene, Buzzard was clearly impaired. "(He) was unable to stand still without swaying and losing his balance . . . his speech and body movements (were) slow and lethargic. His eyes were glassy and extremely bloodshot," it stated.
In fact, "Mr. Buzzard was still oblivious to the fact that he had struck a pedestrian" when questioned after the accident, according to the report.
But, at the direction of the highway patrol, which was summoned to handle the investigation, Buzzard was released from the scene of the accident and driven home in a taxi.
Buzzard, a local bartender, told police had been playing golf that day and had a couple of beers after.
Buzzard was reported drinking at local bars the week after the accident, but friends had not seen him in recent days. White said he didn't know when Buzzard had left Fernandina Beach or when he had arrived at Plantation Key, or how he got there.
Buzzard is currently awaiting transport from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
rsmith@fbnewsleader.com
Story created May 26, 2011 - 09:07:31 PDT.
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