Fenton tells Police Department officers she thought she struck a dog
On March 3, June Louise Fenton, 72, of 5614 Long Common Circle in The Meadows community of Sarasota was charged with two counts of Leaving the Scene of a Traffic Crash Resulting in a Fatality and one count of Leaving the Scene of a Traffic Crash Resulting in Serious Injury in connection with a Feb. 10 crash in Sarasota that resulted in the deaths of two young children and critical injuries to their mother, the Sarasota Police Department announced.
Fenton fled the scene, as shown in surveillance video from the area, her Probable Cause Affidavit said.
All of the victims initially were transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital under a trauma alert, the Probable Cause Affidavit for Fenton noted. One child was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at the hospital. The other child was transported to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, “where he … succumbed to his injuries the following day [Feb. 11],” the affidavit added.
The Police Department reported that the mother was 29. One child was 2; the other, 5 months old. The mother was admitted to the Sarasota Memorial Intensive Care Unit with life-threatening injuries, the affidavit said.
The incident occurred about 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 10 near the Seventh Street intersection with U.S. 301, the Probable Cause Affidavit noted.
Fenton told officers that she thought she had struck a dog, the affidavit said.
“Following a thorough investigation,” the Police Department reported in a March 3 news release, “Traffic Homicide Investigators, the Intelligence Unit, and the Real-Time Operations Center worked in coordination to locate the suspected vehicle and its driver.”
The release added comments from Chief Rex Troche: ”We appreciate the patience and support shown by the community during this investigation. This incident has deeply impacted the lives of many. Like all investigations, this case highlights the importance of teamwork, patience, and trust within our community.”
On March 4, Fenton was released from the Sarasota County jail under total bond of $650,000 12th Judicial Circuit Court records show. She used a mortgage agreement with Affordable Bail Bonds of Sarasota to pay her bond, the document said.
Earlier that day, 12th Judicial Circuit Judge Rochelle Curley had signed a form setting bond of $250,000 on each of the hit-and-run charges related to the children’s deaths, with bond of $150,000 assigned to the third count. Fenton was ordered not to drive and to wear a GPS monitor. Her arraignment is set for April 4.
Sarasota County Property Appraiser Bill Furst’s website records show that Fenton’s home had a market value of $327,900 last year. She paid $435,000 for it in early December 2022. Zillow put the estimated market value of the home at $423,700, The Sarasota News Leader found.
Vehicle strikes victims, makes U-turn and heads back to scene
Video surveillance from one of the businesses near the scene showed a white, four-door sedan heading south on U.S. 301 as it approached the Seventh Street intersection on Feb. 10, the Probable Cause Affidavit said. The vehicle struck the victims, who were crossing U.S. 301 from east to west, the affidavit continued, and then the driver applied the brakes. Afterward, the vehicle moved into the other lane and “slowly [continued] south towards 5th St.,” the affidavit added.
“Approximately 35 seconds after the crash,” the affidavit continued, “the suspect vehicle [made] a U-turn at 5th St.” and then was seen approaching the “the impact area” about 20 seconds later. The affidavit said the vehicle slowed down before heading past the scene.
The video also showed pedestrians “providing aid to the victims,” who were lying in the southbound lane of U.S. 301. Damage to the front bumper and the grill area of the vehicle was evident in the video, the affidavit noted.
The vehicle turned east on Seventh Street and traveled out of view, the affidavit said.
When police personnel initially spoke with Fenton, the affidavit noted, she told them that she thought she had hit a dog.
“During the processing of the scene,” the affidavit continued, police personnel found part of a headlight lens and other plastic pieces “in the area of impact.” Upon closer inspection, the parts were found to have numbers printed on them. Research indicated that the numbers belonged to a Lexus ES 350 sedan that was built between 2013 and 2018, the affidavit noted.
On Feb. 11, the affidavit continued, the Police Department’s Crime Analysis Unit generated a list of vehicles for use in trying to find the suspect. One officer then visited “a local Lexus dealership,” where the officer was able to determine that the Lexus was a model produced between 2013 and 2015, the affidavit added.
Just after midday on Feb. 12, the affidavit continued, a detective located a vehicle that fit the description, based on the research into the model. That led officers to Fenton, the affidavit explained. When they arrived at her home, the affidavit added, they saw the vehicle parked in an open garage. It “had damage to its front end, which was consistent with a vehicle involved [in] a pedestrian crash.”
When members of the Traffic Unit subsequently met with Fenton, the affidavit said, she gave them permission to enter her garage. There, they saw the driver’s side of the windshield “was severely crushed from an impact consistent with a pedestrian strike.” Damage to the headlight on the driver’s side also was evident, the affidavit continued, along with damage to the “lower bumper,” which matched the damage observed in the surveillance video, the affidavit pointed out.
When an officer asked Fenton about the damage, the affidavit noted, she responded that she had struck a dog on U.S. 301. In discussing the incident with two officers, the affidavit continued, she explained that “she [had been] in the area of the Pines of Sarasota [1501 N. Orange Ave.,] feeding stray cats. “
After she left the Pines, she said, she turned onto 12th Street to head home, but she ultimately had to turn onto U.S. 301 because of road construction. She had decided to take Fruitville Road home, she added, according to the affidavit.
She told the officers that she struck the dog at Seventh Street and then made a U-turn and drove toward the crash site. When she saw “several people in the road,” the affidavit said, “she did not want to see a dog suffering.” Therefore, since people were present, “helping the dog, she went home,” the affidavit noted.
Fenton signed a Waiver of Search form and consented for her vehicle to be removed as evidence, the affidavit added. After a judge signed a vehicle search warrant, the affidavit said, police personnel were able to match pieces from the headlight and bumper of Fenton’s Lexus to the materials recovered from the crash scene. “Additionally,” the affidavit noted, “long hair, consistent with human hair, was recovered from the damaged windshield.”
Fenton was arrested and transported to the jail without incident, the affidavit said.
Prior charges
A News Leader search of court records for Fenton found that, in March 2019, she was cited for driving 50 mph in a 35 mph zone — on 17th Street in Sarasota, where she was traveling west after turning from Lime Avenue. Her vehicle was identified as a 2023 Lexus.
She also was cited that day for unknowingly driving while her license was suspended.
Court records also show that she completed Traffic School, so the charges were dismissed in May 2019.