TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Man Guilty Of DUI-Manslaughter In Toddler's Death

ADVERTISEMENT

By TOM BRENNAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 23, 2009

Pete Dreydoppel

TAMPA - A Riverview man who ran over his neighbor's 3-year-old son in his pickup was found guilty this morning of DUI-manslaughter and other charges in the toddler's death.

Pete Dreydoppel, 53, faces up to 20 years in state prison when he is sentenced Feb. 27.

Jurors deliberated for more than three hours Thursday night before Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Emmett L. Battles sent them home. They resumed deliberations this morning, reaching a verdict within an hour.

"My grandson can now rest in peace," said Carmela Barth, Eddie Gould's grandmother. "We know justice was done."

Eddie was killed Feb. 7, 2007, as he played outside with a toy truck in the Alafia Riverwood mobile home park, 6521 Riverview Drive.

Prosecutors showed Dreydoppel was impaired on a combination of marijuana and Xanax that prevented him from avoiding the boy.

Dreydoppel and his attorneys had no comment. He has been jailed since his arrest the day of the incident.

Assistant Public Defender Jennifer Spadley told Battles she would present testimony about Dreydoppel's health at the sentencing.

Spadley told jurors in her closing argument that Eddie's death was "a tragic accident."

Gayle Gould, Eddie's mother, had no comment. But she embraced Assistant State Attorney Felix Vega after the case was adjourned.

The jury also convicted Dreydoppel of driving without a valid license, operating an unregistered vehicle, putting his boat tag on his truck, manslaughter by culpable negligence, possession of drug paraphernalia and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

Vega asked the judge to merge the two manslaughter charges into a single count for sentencing purposes. Dreydoppel faces 15 years on the DUI-manslaughter charge and five additional years on the other charges.

A University of Florida toxicologist testified at trial that the combination of drugs, along with other factors, reinforced his opinion that Dreydoppel should not have been driving.

A neighbor testified that Dreydoppel had been driving slowly and carefully.

Dreydoppel told investigators he thought he had hit a toy left in the road. He did not testify during his trial.

Reporter Tom Brennan can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tbrennan@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT