ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A fugitive accused in a fatal drunken-driving crash more than decade ago has been caught in the Caribbean.
After nearly 13 years on the run, Carey Price was taken into custody Sunday in the Dominican Republic by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Central Florida Fugitive Task Force.
He landed in Atlanta Wednesday afternoon, according to Florida Highway Patrol troopers.
Price was arrested in August 2003 after troopers said he crashed his car into three pedestrians who were working in a construction zone on State Road 417 near University Boulevard.
Grady Hill, 42, was killed, while two others, Paul Kimbro, 44, and Charles Starrett, 43, were critically injured.
Investigators said Price ran over Hill.
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Price had a blood alcohol level of 0.201 percent the night of the crash, troopers said.
He was arrested on charges of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide, but fled the country shortly after bonding out of jail, according to investigators.
Troopers, U.S. marshals, the Orange County Fugitive Task Force, and other state and federal agencies had been searching for Price for 12 years. His story was featured on "America’s Most Wanted" and numerous tips have come in over the years.
Hill’s sister, Peggy Jandrew, told Channel 9 that when someone messaged her on Facebook with Price’s whereabouts, she did not believe it until the tipster sent a picture of Price.
The tipster told her that Price changed his name to Jay Rice.
Jandrew was able to identify Price in the picture.
“My heart was beating out of my chest (learning) that Carey Carl Price has been captured,” said Jandrew.
Jandrew said it’s been 4,604 days since Hill was run over on University Boulevard.
“My brother is never coming back, but as a family, we are in a much better place. All we want is our day in court,” Jandrew said.
Price was arrested for the crash, but fled the country after being released from jail on bail, investigators said.
“(Price) has always been a picture to us. We have never actually seen him,” said Jandrew. “There were some really good leads, but somehow he got away before we, you know, law enforcement got there.”
That all changed a couple of weeks ago with a chance meeting at a bar in the Dominican Republic.
Price told someone at the bar about his past, and a tipster looked up information about the case and found Jandrew on Facebook to send her a message.
“I thought the guy was playing a trick on me,” Jandrew said. “But this guy would not give up. He kept sending me messages.”
Jandrew contacted prosecutors, who alerted law enforcement agencies.
“He has not been in jail one single day until now,” Jandrew said. “You have faith that miracles happens and ours kind of did.”