Deputy who stopped woman hours before deadly wrong-way crash on I-75 identified

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. —

A Collier County deputy who stopped a woman for speeding just hours before she was arrested for a deadly wrong-way DUI crash on I-75 has been identified.

The Collier County Sheriff's Office said Eric Pellegrino initially stopped Genise Taylor, 24, along US-41 at approximately 2:30 a.m. on March 18.

Taylor was picked up by some friends after the traffic stop, and they reportedly went to Waffle House. Cameras later showed Taylor's car sitting for 35 minutes at the intersection of Golden Gate Parkway and the I-75 on-ramp near exit 105, investigators said.

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper said at Taylor's pre-trial hearing on Monday that she then drove up the ramp, turned around, and continued along I-75 in the wrong direction.

At approximately 4:18 a.m., Taylor crashed into two oncoming vehicles, one of which was driven by Arthur Gilbert, 96, who died.

Taylor's blood test, taken while she was at the hospital, showed a BAC of 0.213, which is nearly three times the legal limit.

At the hearing, the State Attorney's Office stated that Taylor admitted during a jail call that she knew the deputy who pulled her over for speeding.

Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said an internal affairs investigation would be conducted on the traffic stop between Taylor and Pellegrino.

The Collier County Sheriff's Office said Pellegrino is not on administrative leave at this time as the investigation is ongoing.

Pellegrino started with CCSO in June 2024 in the sheriff's office patrol division.

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