Community Corner

Truck Lands in Water, Drunk Driver Lands in Jail

Investigators say Richard Newhouse's blood-alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit when his truck splashed into the water in Tierra Verde.

A man landed in jail after his truck landed in the water Monday night in Tierra Verde.

Authorities say 46-year-old Richard Newhouse was driving north on State Road 679, south of Madonna Boulevard, around 5:57 p.m. when he attempted to make a U-turn and lost control of his 2010 Toyota Tacoma.


The truck traveled off the roadway, across a grass shoulder, through a chain link fence and eventually into the waters of Tampa Bay at the Tierra Verde Marina Resort, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report.

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It was later determined Newhouse was intoxicated and had a blood-alcohol content of 0.256, FHP investigators said, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08.

Newhouse, who was not injured, was charged with DUI with property damage and careless driving and taken to the Pinellas County Jail.

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He was being held on $500 bond and awaiting trial Monday night, jail records show. 


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