Lake Wales, Florida – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has taken swift action in the case of a fatal single-vehicle crash that occurred near Lake Wales last month. On Tuesday, July 11, 2023, 19-year-old Damien Fletcher of Haines City was arrested by detectives from Traffic Homicide Investigations on charges of Vehicular Homicide (F2). The crash, which took place on June 29th, tragically claimed the life of a 19-year-old male passenger in Fletcher’s Jeep Grand Cherokee, while the victim’s 16-year-old brother sustained minor injuries.
According to Sheriff Grady Judd, the arrest was the result of reckless and irresponsible driving. Fletcher’s actions have led to the loss of a young life, inflicted injuries upon another, and left a grieving family with an irreplaceable void. The sheriff extended his condolences to the family, and commended the detectives for their thorough investigation and uncovering of the facts.
Initially, during the investigation, Fletcher claimed that he lost control of the Jeep while attempting to avoid hitting an animal. However, a closer examination of the evidence revealed a different story. Detectives reviewed the vehicle’s Electronic Data Recorder, which provided crucial information about the moments leading up to the crash. The data clearly indicated that the Jeep was traveling at a staggering speed of 104 mph in a 55 mph zone, a mere 1.5 seconds before the collision. Additionally, the data showed no evidence of braking or steering, directly contradicting Fletcher’s claim of swerving to avoid an animal.
Eyewitnesses who cooperated with the investigation provided further insight into the incident. They stated that the Jeep had overtaken their vehicles at an excessively high speed in a no-passing zone. Shockingly, moments before the crash, the Jeep’s headlights were deliberately turned off. The collision occurred at approximately 10:29 pm.
Presented with these compelling findings, a detective from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office confronted Fletcher, who ultimately admitted to the accuracy of the evidence. He was promptly taken into custody on Tuesday and transported to the PCSO Sheriff’s Processing Center.