Zephyrhills Man Charged with DUI Manslaughter in 2023 Head-On Collision

BROOKSVILLE – An arrest has been made in a deadly 2023 head-on collision that claimed the life of a Tampa man.

Officials say on July 30, 2023, then-19-year-old Johnathon William Smith of Zephyrhills was driving a GMC pickup truck recklessly on US-301. Just north of Belt Drive, Smith crossed the center line and collided head-on with a Nissan Versa, killing the driver, 29-year-old Kyle Alexander Perkin Roman of Tampa.

Smith was transported to Lakeland Regional Hospital where he voluntarily submitted to a blood draw.

Nine months after the deadly crash, the Florida Highway Patrol received the results of Smith's toxicology report which showed a blood-alcohol level of .101%, just over the legal limit of .08%.

On April 19, 2024, the Florida Highway Patrol arrested Smith and he was booked into the Hernando County Jail on charges of DUI Manslaughter and DUI with Property Damage. Smith was released the same day on a $31,000 bond.