HIGHLANDS COUNTY, Fla. — A man who spent years on the run in Ireland has been brought back to Florida to do time for his crime.
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According to the State Attorney’s Office for Florida’s 10th Judicial Circuit, then 22-year-old Samuel Tucker was driving with a blood-alcohol level of .15 on the night of June 24, 2017 in Highlands County.
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Investigators say Tucker was traveling at 140 miles per hour when crashed his black, four-door sedan into a utility pole and a fence before flipping over multiple times, killing a woman in the car.
DUI Manslaughter Suspect Fled to Ireland. SAO Brought Him Back and Now He’s Headed to Prison. https://t.co/ElAODvRl7F
— State Attorney, 10th (@SAO10Florida) August 29, 2022
According to court documents Tucker had to be treated at a hospital, but fled to Cork, Ireland when he was released. During that time, records say Tucker lived under an assumed name and lied about his identity when he was approached by Irish authorities.
For years, Assistant State Attorney Victoria Avalon worked to have Tucker brought back to the United States, even as Tucker fought his extradition through Irish Courts.
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Eventually, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Marshalls, and the Highland County Sheriff’s Office, the Irish court ordered Tucker to be returned to the United States.
In February 2019, The U.S. Marshall Service brought Tucker back to Highland County to face charges of DUI manslaughter and DUI with property damage.
Tucker, now 27, entered a negotiated “best interest” plea this month to the second-degree felony of DUI manslaughter, essentially allowing him to plead guilty without fully accepting responsibility for the crime.
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Tucker faced a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. A judge finally sentenced him this month to 11 years in Florida State Prison followed by four years of probation.
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