4 hours ago
The Collier County Sheriff's Office confirms a deputy is under scrutiny after they stopped the driver accused of a fatal wrong-way crash just before the wreck.
Andrea Jones, spokesperson for the sheriff's office, on March 23 confirmed that on March 18, a deputy conducted a traffic stop on Genise Taylor’s vehicle for speeding.
Taylor, 24, of Naples, faces one count of drunken driving manslaughter in the March 18 death of Arthur Ward Gilbert, 96, of Naples.
In a March 23 emailed statement, Jones said that on March 19, "Sheriff Rambosk directed an internal affairs investigation be initiated and conducted in accordance with state laws governing same."
The sheriff's office did not respond to questions about the time of the traffic stop; along what road or intersection it happened; or whether Taylor received a citation or a warning.
The deadly wreck happened just after 4:15 a.m. March 18 along Interstate 75, near Mile Marker 110 in North Naples, according to a Florida Highway Patrol incident report.
State troopers arrested Taylor after her release from Physicians Regional — Pine Ridge. Authorities said she suffered minor injuries.
Authorities said Taylor crashed head-on with cars driven by Gilbert and a 57-year-old New Hampshire man.
Genise Gardenia Taylor, 24, faces one count of DUI manslaughter in the Wednesday, March 18, 2026, death of Arthur Ward Gilbert, 96.
The report says a blood sample collected by hospital staff revealed her blood-alcohol content about an hour after the crash was 0.213 — nearly three times the legal limit, which is 0.08.
Taylor faced a pretrial detention hearing 2 p.m. March 23. Her arraignment is April 13.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at [email protected] or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Bluesky @tomasfrodriguez.
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Collier County deputy stopped Genise Taylor before fatal crash
