A 59-year-old Florida man faces DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and hit-and-run charges after allegedly striking and killing a woman on a motorized scooter on July 8.
Investigators say Kevin Alan Hoffman was driving a Tesla at 90 mph in a 45-mph zone on State Road 16 when he struck 64-year-old Delinda Ronette Heinrich from behind. Toxicology reports revealed Hoffman’s blood alcohol level was 0.212, nearly three times Florida’s legal limit. Heinrich died at the scene.
According to the sheriff’s office, the incident began moments earlier at a nearby Circle K, where a deputy approached Hoffman’s parked car after an employee flagged him as suspicious.
“When the deputy walked up to the vehicle to make contact with the subject, the driver exited the parking lot at a high rate of speed,” the sheriff’s office said. “As the Tesla traveled eastbound on SR 16, it struck an individual on a motorized scooter.”
Hoffman fled after hitting Heinrich, but lost control shortly down the road, striking a utility pole and flipping the vehicle. He suffered serious injuries and was arrested upon release from a rehabilitation facility.
Heinrich’s mother, Betty Moore, said her daughter was wearing a helmet and obeying all traffic laws. “I lost my daughter, my friend. I lost a piece of me that I’ll never get back,” Moore said. “I hope that someone’s held accountable.”
Court records show Hoffman completed probation on June 1 for a prior reckless driving charge reduced from a March 2025 DUI arrest. The investigation remains ongoing.
READ: Quick-Thinking Shoppers Help Cops Catch Florida Parking Lot ‘Flasher’
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