Released by the Florida Highway Patrol …
~Sentencing to be Handed Down Monday ~
Chipley, FL – Yesterday John Roland Goedetke entered an open plea to DUI Manslaughter, Leaving the Scene with Death and Driving While License Suspended in the October 25, 2018 deaths of three linemen working to restore power in Washington County after Hurricane Michael. He will be sentenced on Monday, January 27, 2019.
Goedetke was driving north on State Road 77 near the intersection of Talton Road in Washington County when his vehicle traveled onto the shoulder, striking three linemen who were working restore power in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 hurricane that devastated the Florida Panhandle on October 10, 2019. Goedetke fled from the scene of the crash on foot and was later apprehended with the assistance of the Chipley Police Department.
The Florida Highway Patrol’s Advanced Investigation and Reconstruction (FLAIR) Team conducted the traffic homicide investigation and successfully built the case which culminated in yesterday’s plea.
Florida Highway Patrol
Troop A