CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — (Editor's Note: The story above is from a previous report)
First Coast News reported earlier this week that the man charged in a fiery crash that nearly claimed a life in Clay County man last April has an extensive history of traffic violations.
Over the past three decades, Clifford Ringer received more than 40 tickets ranging from reckless driving to DUI. As recently as July 2, he was ticketed for allegedly running a red light.
The most severe crash, of course, was in April when police say Ringer rear ended a car driven by 23-year-old Gavin Conroy, causing it to explode in flames. Conroy was burned over 93 percent of his body. He has since had to have both legs and several figures amputated and remains in intensive care.
As part of our investigation, we reached out to prosecutors, judges and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office to determine why Ringer was still on the road.
On Friday, First Coast News learned that the State Attorney’s Office has filed a motion to revoke Ringers bond.
According to the motion, “The defendant has demonstrated himself to be a danger to the community and therefore is in violation of his pre-trial release conditions.”
Ringer has a prior criminal conviction for DUI in 2003 and has been discovered by police passed out and non-responsive behind the wheel on two other occasions, reports show.
His license has been mostly suspended since 2011.
Ringer was charged with one count of driving on a suspended license in a crash causing serious bodily injury and one count of driving on a suspended license after an earlier conviction.
The crash report says Ringer had four prior offenses for driving on a suspended license.
Court records show Ringer also has a prior arrest for DUI in 2021, which was reduced to a drug possession charge. He pleaded no contest. He was also found guilty in 2020 of multiple drug related charges.
Ringer pled not guilty to the charges in the accident that injured Conroy and will next appear in court for a pre-trial hearing in August.