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MICANOPY, Fla. – Steven Arthur Collins, 72, of Micanopy, was arrested last night and charged with DUI, DUI with serious injury, failing to stop after a crash with serious bodily injury, and failing to stop after a crash with injury after allegedly hitting two pedestrians on CR 234, causing a broken pelvis and other injuries.
At about 9:56 p.m. last night, a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper responded to a report of a hit and run in which two pedestrians were hit on SE CR 234 near SE 73rd Drive. The pedestrians flagged down a passing car, and the driver of that car followed the white SUV that had hit them. The driver of the passing car found the SUV about 500 yards down the road and reportedly took a video of the driver, later identified as Collins, getting out of the SUV and coming to speak with her. She advised Collins to return to the scene of the crash, and he reportedly complied but got back into his car at the scene of the crash and drove away again. He allegedly did not render aid to the victims or call emergency services. The driver of the passing car again followed him until Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies stopped his vehicle on the Archer Road exit ramp of I-75.
The trooper reported that he could smell alcohol on Collins’ breath and that Collins had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech “to where he was almost incoherent.” Collins reportedly told the trooper he was coming from “The Depot,” a sports bar in Micanopy, and headed home to his residence on SE CR 234. The trooper reported that Collins’ SUV had obvious signs of damage such as a missing passenger-side rearview mirror and a dent in the front passenger-side bumper.
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Post Miranda, Collins reportedly refused to answer questions. He did not consent to field sobriety exercises and did not consent to a breath test.
One of the pedestrians suffered a broken pelvis, abdominal tear with bleeding, abrasions, and contusions; the other suffered abrasions and contusions.
Collins has no local criminal history but has two previous DUI convictions in Pinellas County in 1988 and 1989; bail information is unavailable on weekends.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
