JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — A Jacksonville man will spend the next 15 years in prison after a deadly DUI hit-and-run crash in Jacksonville Beach in July of 2019.
Joshua Lovingood pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter in the death of 22-year-old Bryn Turner, according to a release from State Attorney Melissa Nelson's office.
On July 11, 2019, Lovingood worked an evening shift as a bartender at a Beaches-area brewery, the release says. During his shift, he was seen having several alcoholic beverage with customers, according to the release.
Just before midnight, Lovingood left the brewery and drove to 2nd Street North in Jacksonville Beach, driving between 56 and 71 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone according to an investigation, the release says. Lovingood struck Turner and another pedestrian victim, then continued traveling south across 6th Avenue North and onto a sidewalk, where he hit a tree and overturned, according to the release.
Turner died at the scene. According to his obituary, he was a Clemson University student from Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, working toward a career in medicine.
The other victim suffered serious injuries, the release says.
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Lovingood consented to a blood test by police several hours later and showed a blood alcohol content of 0.228, well over two times the legal limit to drive, the release says.
He was not arrested that night even though a police report says he smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes. In 2019, First Coast News reported that's because police wanted to avoid any technicality that could result from a defendant's right to a speedy trial.
Lovingood turned himself in to police in Ohio in October of 2019.
He was also driving while his license was suspended, according to police records. He previously pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter, driving under the influence with damage and driving while license suspended or revoked, according to the state attorney's office release.