Man Charged with Two Counts of DUI Manslaughter Has History of DUI Convictions in Florida

Troopers of the Florida Highway Patrol say a man who allegedly killed a motorcyclist and rider earlier this month has a pair of prior convictions for drunk driving in his past.

On the evening of April 15, Kerry “Jason” Webb was riding his Suzuki motorcycle with his girlfriend Angelina “Angel” Torrey on the seat behind him. The duo were heading north on U.S. 301 in Riverview when, at half past nine o’clock, troopers say Benson Craig Johnston attempted a left turn from U.S. 301 onto Johanna Drive, directly into the path of Webb and Torrey’s motorcycle.

Authorities say that both occupants of the motorcycle were thrown from it upon impact, inflicting grievous injuries upon both. Despite the best efforts of first responders, the 37-year-old Webb expired at the scene of the accident. Torrey fared somewhat better, arriving alive at Brandon Regional Hospital, but the 25-year-old mother of one’s injuries proved to be fatal soon after arriving.

Per the FHP, the 34-year-old Johnston did not remain to assess the damage, preferring to flee instead. They say they caught up with him a short time later at his home, which was only a few hundred yards away. He allegedly turned in a subpar result in the field-sobriety test they administered upon him prior to his apprehension.

Johnston was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail that evening and subjected to a blood draw and a breath test for alcohol. Though the breath test allegedly returned results of 0.074% and 0.072%, which is below the level at which the state of Florida presumes incapacity, the FHP says it expects results for the blood test to yield a higher level.

Johnston was booked into jail on two counts of DUI manslaughter, one count of a third DUI violation, two counts of leaving the scene of a fatal accident, one count of possession of a controlled substance, and one count of disorderly conduct. According to state records, Johnston has two other DUI convictions, one in Daytona Beach in 2004, and a second in Hillsborough County five years ago.

The Law Offices of Bjorn Brunvand have been representing people charged with capital murder, felony drug charges, drunk driving, government fraud, and white-collar crimes for over a quarter century. Contact our office today to discuss your Tampa Bay-area state or federal charges.