911 dispatcher to face DUI manslaughter charge after crash that killed Belle Glade woman
BELLE GLADE — A 36-year-old 911 dispatcher for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office was driving at more than twice the legal limit for intoxication when her SUV crashed into another one in late July, killing a 37-year-old Belle Glade woman, authorities said in arresting the dispatcher for DUI manslaughter.
Toni M. McCauley of West Palm Beach also faces one count each of vehicular homicide and DUI causing bodily injury following her arrest on Dec. 7 in the July 27 wreck that killed Casondra Denise Johnson-Dowling.
McCauley is on administrative leave with pay, PBSO spokesperson Teri Barbera said Wednesday.
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During a court hearing on Dec. 8 at the Palm Beach County Jail, County Judge Ted Booras set McCauley's bail at $45,000 and ordered that she be placed on in-house arrest with an ankle monitor. She remained in custody as of Dec. 13.
Investigators say McCauley was driving north in a southbound lane of State Road 715 near State Road 80 on the night of July 27 when her 2021 Chevrolet Blazer SUV collided with a 2019 Kia Soul SUV driven by Johnson-Dowling.
Paramedics drove Johnson-Dowling to Lakeside Medical Center in Belle Glade, where she later died, according to a PBSO report. The hospital also treated two children in Johnson-Dowling's vehicle, a 6-year-old girl and a 5-year-old girl, for life-threatening injuries.
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Video evidence showed that McCauley failed to take any kind of evasive action to avoid the collision, investigators said. McCauley received treatment at HCA Florida-Palms West Hospital for unspecified injuries. There, she told investigators she could not recall how the collision occurred.
She indicated that she drank alcohol that day but stopped early enough that its effects would wear off before she went to work, according to the arrest report.
A blood draw indicated that she had a blood-alcohol level of nearly .20, well above the minimal level of .08 in which a driver in Florida is presumed to be driving under the influence.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: DUI manslaughter charge for Florida 911 dispatcher after fatal crash
