GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Tyler Patrick Hughey, aged 25, residing in Alachua, has been handed a sentence of 364 days in the Alachua County Jail, followed by a five-year probation period. This ruling comes after Hughey entered a plea of nolo contendere for leaving the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury.
Back in June 2021, Hughey faced a charge of vehicular homicide concerning the tragic passing of Paola Detarso-Palmo on June 6, 2018. Recently, he opted for a plea agreement, accepting a lesser charge of leaving the scene of an accident with serious bodily injury.
In exchange, he was sentenced to one year in jail and five years of probation. It’s worth noting that the maximum sentence for this charge could have been up to 15 years in state prison.
As part of the plea deal, Hughey made a restitution payment of $7,500 to the victim’s estate. Additionally, he will be mandated to complete 120 hours of community service at a trauma center or hospital, attend a victim impact panel or advanced driver improvement course, and his driver’s license will be suspended for three years.
The presiding judge, Phillip Pena, accepted Hughey’s plea, and Darla Whistler served as the prosecutor in this case.
