Osceola deputy ticketed in rear-end crash that killed Clermont man

May 21, 2019 in News by RBN

An Osceola County Sheriff’s deputy who last year rear-ended a pick-up truck and killed a 34-year-old Clermont man has been ticketed for careless driving and not wearing a seatbelt, the Florida Highway Patrol said Tuesday.

Deputy Gloria Boccio will have to appear at a yet-to-be determined court date where she could face fines or be sent to driving school, FHP Lt. Kim Montes said. Her license will be suspended for six months, Montes said.

On Oct. 5, Boccio was driving east on U.S. Highway 192 in her 2018 Dodge Charger cruiser and did not stop as she approached a red light at Lindfields Boulevard in Osceola County, Montes said. Boccio’s car crashed into the back of a pick-up truck driven by Robert Johnston, which in turn hit two other cars in front of it. The cruiser was totaled.

Johnston was killed. He had been driving to his IT job at Disney.

According to Montes, Boccio was doing 50 mph and hit her brakes only a half-second and tried to swerve before hitting the truck.

Boccio, who was hired in May 2017, had previously complained about her brakes and took the cruiser to the dealership, which could not find a problem. Montes said an outside expert said the brakes were working at the time of the crash.

The Sheriff’s Office provided a printout of Boccio’s activity on her work phone and computer which showed she was not using them at the time of the crash, Montes said. Boccio declined to turn over her personal phone and did not provide a statement to troopers, Montes said. Troopers did not have probable cause to issue a warrant for the personal phone, according to Montes.

Osceola County Sheriff Maj. Jacob Ruiz said an internal investigation remains active. Boccio is on administrative duty and is not driving an agency vehicle.

The crash is the third in which she has been found at fault, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

About a month after the fatal crash, Boccio was on State Road 417 near State Road 408 in Orange County when she did not stop for slowed traffic and caused a chain-reaction crash. No one was injured and troopers issued her a ticket for an improper lane change. She also was found at fault for a third crash and was involved in a fourth which was not her fault.

Johnston’s family received a $200,000 settlement from Osceola County earlier this year.