Collier County deputy under investigation after deadly wrong-way crash

NAPLES, Fla. (WINK)—  WINK News has been digging into who Deputy Eric Pellegrino is since the Collier County Sheriff's Office confirmed his name.

• RELATED: Deputy who let accused DUI driver go before fatal wrong-way I-75 crash identified

Deputy Pellegrino has worked for the sheriff's office for less than two years. He started on June 18, 2024.

Before Collier County, he worked for the Baltimore County Police Department. In September 2022, he was one of two officers involved in a shooting.

Body camera video from that day shows the incident. Baltimore police said the man moved towards the officers, including Pellegrino, with a knife.

They shot and killed him. Prosecutors in Baltimore did not charge him.

WINK News took this information and what we know about last Wednesday's crash on I-75, including the internal investigation into Pellegrino's actions the morning of the crash. WINK News spoke with two experts.

Ed Obayashi is a special prosecutor and former police officer. WINK News asked if the shooting in Baltimore will be taken into account in these investigations.

"It would be unusual unless there's some pattern to it. An officer involved shooting does not, on its surface, have any connection or relevance to the incident," Obayashi said.

One of the big questions here is, did he violate any policy?

Deputy Pellegrino stopped Taylor for speeding, let friends pick her up and only cited her for speeding.

WINK News obtained the sheriff's office's DUI policy. The policy states deputies shall make every effort to detect and apprehend drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

WINK News read this section to criminal defense attorney Stuart Kaplan.

"If he violated their internal department policy where he should have at least continued a DUI investigation, the fact that he didn't do that and he allowed her a phone call may be a department issue policy violation," Kaplan said, "It may and will probably subject him to internal discipline, leading to perhaps suspension or termination."

At this point, the sheriff's office said Pellegrino is not on administrative leave. Both experts said criminal charges for Deputy Pellegrino in this case would be hard to prove.

WINK News has requested Deputy Pellegrino's personnel file from both Baltimore County and Collier County.