St. Pete garbage truck driver accused of running over sleeping woman twice in alley: Police
City garbage truck driver accused of killing woman
A St. Petersburg garbage truck driver has been charged after police say he ran over a woman twice in an alley on Saturday morning and then drove away. FOX 13's Kylie Jones reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A St. Petersburg garbage truck driver has been charged after police say he ran over a woman twice in an alley on Saturday morning and then drove away.
Fatal St. Petersburg crash
The backstory:
According to an arrest affidavit, Nathan Brown, 51, is accused of killing Candice Roberts, 49, as she slept in an alleyway in downtown St. Pete early Saturday morning.
Roberts, who police believe was homeless, was reportedly sleeping alongside some other people in the alley near 17 3rd St. N.
Police say Brown, a longtime city employee, backed his garbage truck into the alley to pick up a dumpster.
"He backed up, and he ran over the victim," St. Pete Police Chief Anthony Holloway said. "As he pulled forward, he hit her again."
Bystander safety warnings
Dig deeper:
Police say Brown, who has no prior criminal history, drove away from the scene.
According to the arrest affidavit, a bystander had warned Brown that people were sleeping in the alley before the incident occurred.
Brown is now facing a charge of leaving the scene of a crash involving death.
Alleyway safety concerns
What they're saying:
John Burke says he was sleeping in the alley near Roberts at the time of the crash.
"We had been hanging out, you know, tired and decided to rest our head there, but she was farther out into the road and, I guess he didn't see us laying there," Burke said.
Burke says he woke up to the crash scene when police arrived.
"But then I look over at her, and it was a horrendous sight to behold," Burke said. "It baffled me."
Video surveillance requests
What you can do:
Detectives are still talking to witnesses and looking for any video footage from nearby businesses that may show the truck coming and going from the area.
Anyone with information can contact the police department by texting SPPD at 847411 (tip411).
Court bond restrictions
What's next:
Brown had a first appearance in court and his bond was set at $50,000. The judge noted in the case file that, as a condition of his bond, he is not allowed to drive. He has since posted bond and has been released. No new court date has been set at this time.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the St. Petersburg Police Department, an arrest affidavit and an interview with Chief Anthony Holloway, as well as details extracted from an arrest affidavit.