Ormond Beach Woman High On Drugs, Alcohol Killed Skateboarder

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on August 24, 2015

Drugs and alcohol are a dangerous combination. This is especially true with prescription medication, which has been on the increase in recent years. Since 1999, the amount of prescription painkillers prescribed and sold in the U.S. has nearly quadrupled, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Prescription drug abuse becomes even more dangerous when a motor vehicle is operated. Many times people are killed. An Ormond Beach woman faces up to 15 years in prison. She pleaded no contest to DUI manslaughter on Aug. 13, as well as to six counts of drug possession and one count of possession of paraphernalia.

Jody Ann Arcuri was headed north on the 1700 block of U.S. 1 in South Daytona on Feb. 3, 2014. She swerved off the road and hit 22-year-old Stephen Michael Wilson, of New Smyrna Beach. Wilson was skateboarding on the sidewalk at the time of the accident. He was killed instantly.

When law enforcement arrived, Arcuri was noticeably intoxicated. She told officers that she blacked out and did not remember the accident. There was some evidence to suggest that she had been sending a text message when her car swerved off the road.

Law enforcement searched her vehicle and found pills, cocaine, marijuana and synthetic marijuana along with four glass pipes, which tested positive for cocaine. At the time, she was charged with possession of schedule II and schedule III substances, possessing narcotics without a prescription, possessing cannabis under 20 grams, possessing narcotics paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance and possession of cocaine. Police drew blood and waited for the test results before charging her with DUI manslaughter.

Shortly after her arrest, Arcuri posted bond and was released from the country jail. But the woman could not stay out of trouble. Her bond was revoked two days after being arrested once law enforcement officials learned that she was on probation for a 2013 drug possession charge.

The toxicology test showed Arcuri had a blood alcohol level of 0.092, above the legal limit of 0.08. Cocaine, Benzoylecgonine, Methamphetamine, Diazepam and Nordiazepam were also found to be within her system. Her bond was set at $50,000.

A sentencing date after the non-contest plea had not been set.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Florida drunk driver auto accident, contact the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham, P.A. immediately at 877-FL-INJURY (877-354-6587) for a free initial consultation.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.