JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The man who was arrested in Ohio for reportedly killing a pedestrian and injuring another in Jacksonville Beach in July was drinking on the job before the deadly accident, according to police records.
Jacksonville Beach Police say it is a deadly crash that should never have happened because the man reportedly behind the wheel, Joshua Lovingood, also had his license suspended.
"We have a life that was taken and we have another life of the defendant who's now pretty much ruined because he's going to be spending time, if he gets convicted, he's going to spend a lot of time in jail for this," said Sgt. Larry Smith.
Lovingood is charged with killing Bryn Turner, 22. In July, police say Lovingood was speeding on 2nd Street North when he hit Turner and his friend Julio Gomez who was badly injured.
Lovingood was seen drinking with customers at a bar he works at before leaving and getting into the crash, according to an affidavit.
Police drew Lovingood's blood, but he was not arrested that night even though the report says he smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes.
Smith says police waited to avoid any technicality that could result from a defendant's right to a speedy trial.
"It's very common for the person to have blood taken from them and have the blood sent to a lab and have the person released, to be free basically, and wait for the results before we go ahead with the investigation and the arrest," he said.
Lovingood's blood-alcohol level was .228., according to the police report -- almost three times above the legal limit.
Lovingood's license was revoked in 2013 for having too many illegal driving charges. He was given probation from a 2015 DUI and had another DUI dropped in 2018, along with other charges, from a 2016 crash because the statute of limitations expired.
The attorney for Gomez sent First Coast News this statement:
"We ( Fusco Law Group & Woolsey Morcom ) represent Julio Gomez with respect to his injuries resulting from the tragic motor vehicle incident that occurred on July 11, 2019. This is a terrible incident that will have a permanent impact on Mr. Gomez, as well as Mr. Turner's survivors. We all extend our best wishes to Mr. Turner's family. We were pleased to see local law enforcement and the State Attorney's Office made the decision to make an arrest in this matter and appreciate their hard work.
We have been investigating the accident and the activities that led to the impaired driver getting behind the wheel of the vehicle in his condition and intend to pursue all civil claims available to Mr. Gomez, including claims against the driver and third parties."
Lovingood turned himself into Ohio police on Wednesday. There's no timeframe on when he will return to Jacksonville.
He's charged with three counts of DUI as well as vehicular homicide and driving on a revoked license.