TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Tampa man stood before a judge Monday morning after being charged with two counts of DUI manslaughter and one count of DUI with serious bodily injury.
The double fatal wreck happened in Lutz on June 7.
After both the state and defense presented their sides of the case, the judge took a moment and spoke directly to the defendant, making sure he was listening to her, loud and clear.
“You listening to me? I’m not kidding, no driving. No driving a golf cart, no driving a scooter, no driving a car,” said Judge Lyann Goudie.
Navesh Persaud, 21, sat in the courtroom in shackles and a red jumpsuit.
“Based on his age, he is showing a careless disregard for human life,” said the prosecution.
Judge Lyann Goudie set Persaud’s bond at $250,000 for both counts of DUI manslaughter and one count of DUI with serious bodily injury.
“I haven’t heard enough at this point to take it up to the substantial probability, I do believe there is probable cause based on the signs of impairment, based on the initial report,” she said.
On the evening of June 7, Florida Highway Patrol said two cars were involved in a crash along US-41 and Cypress Lane in Lutz.
According to investigators, Persaud was driving a Nissan Pathfinder under the influence and tried to pass a Toyota Camry. The cars collided in the inside lane and ended up in the center median.
In the criminal report, Persaud admitted to drinking prior to the deadly crash.
“Does he pose a substantial risk to the community that requires him not to be out on bond, we don’t believe that’s the case. We also have a game plan, we are creating in treatment and other aspects that we need to build up,” said the defense.
During the pre-trial detention hearing, the defendant’s background was brought up, highlighting a DUI charge from 2022 that was reduced to reckless driving.
The judge said she took everything into account before setting his bond.
“He was in an accident that involved some sort of impairment that resulted in property damage, and here we are four years later with two deaths on our hands,” Judge Goudie said.
“The next court date has not yet been set; Florida Highway Patrol is waiting on different reports and just obtained a search warrant to be able to analyze the data off of the defendant’s car.
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