Newsdaytonabeach.com reports that Ormond Beach, FL police found Tammy Sytch’s blood alcohol level to be 0.280—3 ½ for the crash that killed 75-year-old Julian Lesseter. As noted above, Sytch was arrested on Friday and charged nine times. The most serious charge is DUI manslaughter.
Lesseter’s daughter filed a lawsuit against Sytch, accusing her and her boyfriend James Pente of negligence with vicarious liability for renting the car she was driving. The lawsuit seeks damages of $30,000. Pente has not been charged in Lasseter’s death.
Newsdaytonabeach.com also reports that there were previous incidents before the accident. In December 2021, Sytch reportedly had three separate interactions with Daytona Beach police with two of those incidents occurring back-to-back. They have posted a video at this link of a police officer telling Sytch that she needs to leave her boyfriend and stop drinking.
At one point, Sytch says she was looking through her boyfriend’s pants for a Xanax. When she was asked if she had a prescription, she said that she had the prescription at home and that she needed to take it because she relapsed and she felt shaky. The officer noted that he had been there earlier to take her to the hospital, but Sytch said she doesn’t remember her because she passes out when she drinks.
The officer said another item that was found would need to be tested, but in his opinion, it was methamphetamine. Sytch then asked why her boyfriend would have that in her pocket.
