Student walking to school killed by classmate's dad, FL cops say. He's sentenced
A dad dropped his daughter off at high school, then he hit one of her classmates at nearly 75 mph and fled the scene as the 18-year-old died, Florida authorities said.
Edgardo Joel Rosado Perez, 42, was charged with vehicular homicide, failure to remain at the scene of a crash involving a death and leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage, Polk County records show.
The Lakeland Ledger reported he pleaded guilty following the incident that claimed the life of 18-year-old Zachariah Clabough and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
'I would like to apologize before the family,' Perez said in court through an interpreter, according to WTVT. 'It was not intentional. It was a bad decision that I made in my life.'
McClatchy News reached out to Perez's attorney for comment April 11 but did not immediately receive a response.
'I want Zachariah to come home, but he can't because he's dead,' said his mom, Barbara Runyon, WTVT reported. 'He's dead because Edgardo killed him.'
Perez had just dropped off his daughter at Bartow Senior High School the morning of March 27, 2024, when he got into a minor crash, McClatchy News previously reported.
Florida Highway Patrol said he didn't stop after the crash and fled at a high speed while the other driver involved started chasing him.
Clabough was walking to school when Perez blew through a stop sign and hit him at nearly 75 mph as the 18-year-old was crossing the street, according to investigators.
The force of the impact caused Perez's windshield to cave in, and the airbag deployed, state troopers said.
He's accused of not stopping then either.
Investigators said he drove home and parked his Hyundai sedan in the garage to avoid detection, then he took another car to the mall until deputies found him there and arrested him.
Family wrote in Clabough's obituary that some of his interests included Legos and playing guitar.
'Zach was enjoying life like he usually does,' his brother Hunter Clabough said, according to WTVT. 'Going to school, playing video games. He was there for everybody else. Skateboarding. Hanging out.'
Bartow Senior High School's principal, Lance Lawson, said in a statement to McClatchy News that Clabough was 'a quiet, hardworking student who was looking forward to graduation.'
Bartow is about a 40-mile drive east from Tampa.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
7 hours ago
- Miami Herald
4-year-old bear aggressively seeking food killed at Montana national park
A 4-year-old female bear started aggressively searching for food in a Montana national park, so it was killed, rangers said. The bear was euthanized June 5 in West Glacier in Glacier National Park, the National Park Service said in a news release obtained by McClatchy News. 'The bear consistently attempted to enter vehicles and buildings on private property inside the park,' park officials said in the release. It successfully got into one building and one vehicle, officials said. The same bear was captured in 2022 in Kalispell by wildlife officers and relocated to Puzzle Creek, officials said. But it didn't show signs of being food-conditioned until this June, so it was killed, officials said. Park officials said another bear and her cub got a 'food reward from an unattended backpack' June 7 in the park. The Going-to-the Sun Road, which is used by hikers and bikers, was then closed off. 'Wildlife rangers are attempting to discourage the bears bad behavior. If unsuccessful, the bears may have to be relocated or euthanized per the parks Bear Management Guidelines,' officials said. Park officials said a bear can become food-conditioned when it gets a 'human food reward,' which include food, trash, livestock feed and pet food. It can then become more aggressive and bold as it tries to find a human food source. It will need to be killed as hazing the animal will no longer work, park officials said. Glacier National Park visitors can do their part in stopping bears from becoming food-conditioned and comfortable around people, officials said, by: Always keeping your bag or backpack with you and away from bearsNever stopping near bear along a roadStaying 100 yards away from bears at all times The national park is in northwestern Montana. What to do if you see a bear Bear attacks in the U.S. are rare, according to the National Park Service. In most attacks, bears are trying to defend their food, cubs or space. There are steps people can take to help prevent a bear encounter from becoming a bear attack. Identify yourself: Talk calmly and slowly wave your arms. This can help the bear realize you're a human and nonthreatening. Stay calm: Bears usually don't want to attack; they want to be left alone. Talk slowly and with a low voice to the bear. Don't scream: Screaming could trigger an attack. Pick up small children: Don't let kids run away from the bear. It could think they're small prey. Hike in groups: A group is noisier and smellier, the National Park Service said. Bears like to keep their distance from groups of people. Make yourself look big: Move to higher ground and stand tall. Don't make any sudden movements. Don't drop your bag: A bag on your back can keep a bear from accessing food, and it can provide protection. Walk away slowly: Move sideways so you appear less threatening to the bear. This also lets you keep an eye out. Again, don't run: Bears will chase you, just like a dog would. Don't climb trees: Grizzlies and black bears can also climb.
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Miami Herald
Kids left alone in hot car that reached 104 degrees, GA cops say. Man charged
Two children were left alone in a sweltering car outside an Atlanta shopping mall, and now a man is charged, Georgia police said. The man was arrested on two counts of second-degree child cruelty in the June 4 incident at Cumberland Mall, authorities wrote in a criminal warrant obtained by McClatchy News. Attorney information for the man wasn't immediately available. Officers were called to the parking lot just before 1 p.m. after a witness spotted the youngsters in a car by themselves and called 911, WSB-TV reported, citing the Cobb County Sheriff's Office. Authorities said the kids were in the car with no air conditioning for at least 41 minutes. Temperatures in Atlanta reached 80 degrees that day, according to AccuWeather, and authorities said the car's internal temperature hit triple digits. 'An infrared thermometer displayed the temperature of 104 degrees where said victim was sitting in,' according to the affidavit. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised that cracking a window isn't enough to stay cool in the warmer months, as 'temperatures inside the car can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes.' Authorities didn't give an update on the children's conditions or say if or how they're related to the man who was arrested. McClatchy News reached out to the Cobb County Sheriff's Office for more information June 10 and was awaiting a response. The man was taken to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center and released June 6 after posting an $11,220 bond, online records show.
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Miami Herald
Stepmom seen in shootout with 2-year-old in car during livestream, TN cops say
A dad said his 2-year-old daughter was seen in the back seat of a car during a shootout broadcast on Facebook Live, according to Tennessee police. The girl's 47-year-old stepmom is charged with child endangerment and reckless endangerment by discharging a firearm from within a motor vehicle, Shelby County court records show. McClatchy News is not identifying the woman to protect the identity of her stepdaughter. Officers with the Memphis Police Department responded to a call about a shooting at an apartment complex May 18 involving a white Ford Fusion and two men, according to an affidavit of complaint. Investigators spoke with a dad who said his child's stepmother 'was seen on Facebook Live with his daughter in the back seat, involved in a shootout,' police wrote in the report. The dad identified her as the wife of his children's mother, according to officers. He said she drove a white Ford Fusion, and her niece stayed at the apartment complex where the shooting happened, investigators said. Officers watched the Facebook Live, which they said showed the woman firing shots from her car with a child in the back seat as she was facing a volley of gunfire from someone else. Surveillance footage from the apartment complex showed a white Ford Fusion leave the complex, then a woman started running, police said. The Ford Fusion came back into view, and two men were seen firing shots at it, according to police. Records show the woman was booked in Shelby County jail June 4.
