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Florida Man Faces Felony Manslaughter Charges Following Fatal Crash

A man who has been accused of drunk driving will now face a felony manslaughter charge following the death of a 7-year-old girl from North Port.  She died from the injuries she sustained in a February 13th accident in Charlotte County.

Ronald Judson Smith, 24, of Port Charlotte, will be charged with second-degree felony manslaughter, according to Lt. Christopher Miller.  He is being charged for the death of Sarah-Dian Heineman.  Sarah died after 10 days in All Children’s Hospital.

Smith also faces counts of driving under the influence (DUI) with serious bodily injury, DUI with property damage, assault on a police officer, possession of oxycodone and Xanax without a prescription, failure to submit to a breath test and driving with a suspended license.

The fatal accident occurred at Toledo Blade Boulevard and State Road 776 when Smith’s truck hit the Ford Mustang, which carried Sarah as a passenger.  Sarah’s sister, Madison Heineman, 9, and her father, Rick Heineman, 38, were also injured in the accident.  Madison is still at All Children’s Hospital and Rick is in critical condition at Bayfront Medical Center.

According to witnesses, Smith ran a red light.  He is currently being held without bail at the Charlotte County Jail.  He was released for a short time on February 14th, but arrested again and charged with violating probation from a DUI conviction in 2008.

Miller said Smith refused to submit to a blood-alcohol test following the crash, but it was done anyway due to the severity of the accident.

Sarah was a student at Liberty Elementary in Port Charlotte, where her mother, Carriann Heineman, teaches.

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