The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s Office has declined to prosecute Nathan Brown, a City of St. Petersburg sanitation worker arrested after a woman was struck and killed by a garbage truck in a downtown alley.
State Attorney Bruce Bartlett filed a “No Information” notice June 5 in Pinellas County court, ending the criminal case against Brown. The filing states that testimony and evidence gathered during the investigation revealed facts and circumstances that “do not warrant prosecution at this time.”
Brown had been charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death following the May 30 incident that killed 49-year-old Candice Roberts.
According to information previously released by the St. Petersburg Police Department, Roberts was struck in an alley east of 3rd Street North near Central Avenue. Investigators said she was lying in the alley when a city sanitation truck operating in the area struck her. Roberts died at the scene.
Brown, a city employee, was arrested later that day and charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash. The arrest attracted significant public attention because court documents alleged a witness had warned the driver that people were sleeping in the alley before the truck entered the area.
The case quickly became one of the most closely watched local criminal investigations in recent months because it raised questions about conditions in downtown alleys and the legal standards required to support a felony charge involving a fatal crash.
The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s Office has not publicly released additional details explaining why prosecutors determined the case should not move forward. The court filing contains only a brief statement that the evidence developed during the investigation does not support prosecution.
Under Florida law, a “No Information” filing means prosecutors have decided not to formally pursue criminal charges based on the evidence available to them. It is not a finding of innocence or guilt. The filing closes the criminal case unless new evidence emerges that would justify reopening it.
The decision came less than a week after Brown’s arrest. The speed of the review suggests prosecutors moved quickly to evaluate the evidence gathered by investigators before deciding whether the case could meet the burden required for criminal prosecution.
Neither the State Attorney’s Office nor the City of St. Petersburg had issued a public statement regarding the filing as of Friday afternoon.
The underlying crash investigation remains separate from the criminal prosecution decision. Authorities have not announced whether any additional findings from that investigation will be released.
Roberts was pronounced dead at the scene on May 30. The incident occurred in an area near downtown where unhoused individuals have been known to sleep. Public discussion surrounding the case has focused on both pedestrian safety and the challenges sanitation workers face while operating large vehicles in confined urban alleys.
For now, the State Attorney’s Office filing brings the criminal case against Brown to a close. Absent new evidence, no prosecution will move forward in connection with Roberts’ death.