'It was a cop that I knew': Suspect's jail call reveals details before deadly wrong-way I-75 crash

'It was a cop that I knew': Suspect's jail call reveals details before deadly wrong-way I-75 crash

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. —
Genise Taylor admitted in a recorded jail call that she was pulled over by a Collier County deputy she knew, who let her go, just hours before a deadly crash.

"You got pulled over at 2:30 in the morning. Correct?" the caller asked.

"Yeah. But it was a cop that I knew. And he let me go," Taylor said.

The call revealed Taylor was stopped around 2:30 a.m. on U.S. 41, less than two hours before the crash.

"And the cop let you go. Well, he shouldn't have done that. And that's going to be something that helps you out in your case because that cop should’ve… that cop should have stopped you and not let you drive anymore. At least. But he didn't," said the caller.

Taylor responded, "He didn't let me drive. He didn't let me drive. My friend…took the car."

https://www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com/article/genise-taylor-jail-call-deadly-crash-i-75-collier/70859721

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. —
A Collier County deputy who stopped a woman for speeding just hours before she was arrested for a deadly wrong-way DUI crash on Interstate 75 has been identified.

The Collier County Sheriff's Office said Eric Pellegrino initially stopped Genise Taylor, 24, along U.S. Route 41 at approximately 2:30 a.m. on March 18.

Taylor was picked up by some friends after the traffic stop, and they reportedly went to Waffle House. Cameras later showed Taylor's car sitting for 35 minutes at the intersection of Golden Gate Parkway and the I-75 on-ramp near exit 105, investigators said.

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper said at Taylor's pretrial hearing on Monday that she then drove up the ramp, turned around, and continued along I-75 in the wrong direction.

At approximately 4:18 a.m., Taylor crashed into two oncoming vehicles, one of which was driven by Arthur Gilbert, 96, who died.

Taylor's blood test, taken while she was at the hospital, showed a BAC of 0.213, which is nearly three times the legal limit.

At the hearing, the State Attorney's Office stated that Taylor admitted during a jail call that she knew the deputy who pulled her over for speeding.

https://www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com/article/genise-taylor-deputy-deadly-wrong-way-crash-i-75/70834519