Alyssa Raffaele, 52, of Sarasota, was sentenced for a traffic fatality that occurred in September 2020 in the City of Sarasota.

At 4:29 p.m. on September 29, 2020, Sarasota Police responded to a hit-and-run crash at the intersection of S. Osprey Avenue and Grove Street. A man riding a motorized scooter was hit by an SUV. The driver of the SUV did not stop at the scene of the crash. The man was taken to the hospital. He later died from injuries sustained in the crash.

At 5:43 p.m., Sarasota Police officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle matching the description provided by witnesses to the crash. Raffaele was driving the vehicle and officers suspected she was under the influence of alcohol. Sarasota Police officers conducted Field Sobriety Exercises and ultimately arrested Raffaele for DUI. Raffaele was transported to the Sarasota County Jail and a breath sample was collected. The sample results were a 0.294 alcohol level. 

After the victim died, Sarasota Police Traffic Homicide Investigators took over the case. Through their investigation, they found that Raffaele was responsible for the hit-and-run crash.

On August 14, 2023, Raffaele pled no contest to DUI Manslaughter with Failure to Render Aid and on September 12, 2023, was sentenced to 138 months (11.5 years) in the Department of Corrections, followed by 3 years of probation.  Raffaele has a lifetime driver's license revocation, as well as other DUI sanctions.

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