WWE Hall of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch plead not guilty on Tuesday to the DUI and other charges stemming from a deadly traffic crash in Ormond Beach, Florida.
According to the Ormond Beach police report, back on March 25, Sytch’s vehicle failed to stop and crashed into the back of a stopped car at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Granada Boulevard, leading to the death of Julian LaFrancis Lasseter, 75.
Sytch’s blood alcohol level came in at .280, which is 3.5 times the legal limit of the .08 set by Florida law. Police had also found an unsealed bottle of vodka in her vehicle.
Another test detected THC in Sytch’s blood, indicating she had also been using marijuana sometime before the crash, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
In addition to the DUI causing death, Sytch, 49, was also charged with one count of driving with a suspended revoked license causing death/serious injury; four counts of DUI with “damage to person;” and two counts of DUI with damage to property. The charges add up to a potential 26 years in prison if convicted on all counts and with the sentences running consecutively.
Sytch did not make a statement as she stood next to her defense attorney, Steven deLaroche, before Circuit Judge Karen Foxman at the S. James Foxman Justice Center in Daytona Beach. DeLaroche waived the formal reading of the charges and entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of Sytch.
Sytch’s wrists were in handcuffs attached to a belt. She raised a hand to wave to her fiancé, who was sitting in the gallery, as she was walked out of the courtroom, upon being transported back to the Volusia County jail.
Sytch was arrested back on May 6 and released on a $225,000 bond from the Volusia County jail on May 7. Assistant State Attorney Ashley Terwilleger filed a motion to revoke her bond and hold her in jail pending the outcome of her case.
Back on May 13, Foxman agreed with Terwilleger Sytch posed a threat to the community because of her repeated instances of driving while intoxicated.
DeLaroche had asked that Sytch be allowed to remain free, but be required to wear an ankle monitor containing an alcohol sensor. Foxman said a monitor would be too easy to tamper with.
Sytch’s fiancé, James Pente, said after the hearing he apologized to the family of the man killed and said Sytch feels bad about it.
When asked if there was any discussion of a plea deal, Pente said he could not comment on the workings of the case.
Source: Daytona Beach News Journal