Staff report

MELROSE, Fla. – Clifford James Berry, 52, of Trenton, has been arrested and charged with vehicular homicide in the death of a woman near Melrose on February 19, 2022.

Witnesses told a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper that Berry had been driving erratically on State Road 26, west of Melrose, swerving multiple times across the yellow center line and white outside line. He also reportedly passed a vehicle on the grass shoulder and returned to the roadway; the driver of that vehicle reported that he hit the side of her vehicle as he passed and then continued without stopping. Multiple witnesses reported that he crossed the yellow center line and hit the victim’s car head-on, killing the victim, near County Boat Ramp Road.

Berry reportedly provided voluntary blood samples, and an analysis showed the presence of THC, the active ingredient of marijuana, along with a secondary metabolite of marijuana. However, the doctor stated that without definitive indicators of impairment, there was insufficient evidence to support an acute impairment conclusion.

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In August 2023, a formal charge of vehicular homicide as a result of reckless driving was filed, and a warrant was issued for Berry’s arrest; he was arrested yesterday.

Berry has 16 felony convictions (none violent); he served one state prison sentence for burglary and was released in 1993. Judge Walter Green set bail at $250,000, the amount specified on the warrant signed by Judge David Kreider.

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.