SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — A 52-year-old Sarasota woman who fled in her SUV after hitting a man on a motorized scooter was sentenced to more than 11 years behind bars.
According to Sarasota police, Alyssa Raffaele was driving near the intersection of S. Osprey Avenue and Grove Street in the City of Sarasota on Sep. 29, 2020, around 4:30 p.m. when she struck a man riding a motorized scooter.
Police said Raffaele did not stop and instead fled in her SUV. After the crash, the man was rushed to an area hospital where he later died from his injuries.
Roughly one hour later, police stopped Raffaele driving a vehicle that matched the description of the SUV provided by witnesses.
Officers conducted a field sobriety test and arrested Raffaele for DUI. Raffaele provided a breath sample of 0.294. The legal limit in Florida is 0.08.
On Aug. 14, 2023, Raffaele pled no contest to DUI manslaughter with failure to render aid. On Sep. 12, 2023, she was sentenced to 11.5 years in jail, followed by 3 years of probation.
Raffaele has a lifetime driver’s license revocation, as well as other DUI sanctions.
