John B Goodman - Not Charged with Murder
Feb. 12, 2010. At the corner of Lake Worth Road and 120th Avenue South a Bentley went through a stop sign and crashed into the Hyundai vehicle of Scott Patrick Wilson, age 23, declared dead at the scene. The Bentley (a $250,000 vehicle) that crashed into their son’s car is owned, and was driven by, John Goodman. John Goodman, according to many, is responsible for founding and owning the International Polo Club of Palm Beach.
Now here is where the opinion part comes in. I’m thinking that perhaps when police officers, or later detectives and prosecuting attorney’s got involved, they realized there was a ‘Bentley’ on the scene. And what does a ‘Bentley’ imply? MONEY. Not just any kind of money, but BIG money. Do they really want to upset someone with multi-million dollar stature, a person who probably knows a lot of people who know a lot more people? Let’s face it: if John Smith had been involved in this kind of incident, they would have been arrested on the scene for driving under the influence, with a possible vehicular manslaughter to follow. (See the police report here: http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/palmbeachpost/news/PBSO_LogReport.pdf )
If it had been myself, or you – the reader – we would have been spending at least the night in jail. But not Goodman! Oh, no – he is way above the like’s of us. Drinking and driving? No big deal. Running a stop sign and hitting – killing – another driver? That’s okay. Fleeing the scene to get to a phone (because we are so stupid we believe that multi-millionares with Bentley’s don’t have a car phone or cell phone?)? Absolutely okay!
BULL$#@#!!!!! This is just one more instance of people with money getting away with something that the average American does not. And should the average American get away with it? No! You got drunk, drove a car, ran through a road sign, and killed another person – all against the law. No one should get away with this. But John Goodman has something the average American doesn’t – MONEY! So he now has the same lawyer, Roy Black, that represented both Rush Limbaugh and William Kennedy Smith, among others. John Goodman was never arrested, not even the night of the fatality, even though police reports (see the link to the pdf file) show substance/alcohol abuse. At the scene, Assistant State Attorney Ellen Roberts was to have said, “law enforcement agencies usually arrest a DUI-fatality suspect right away only if they have reason to believe the person may try to flee. Otherwise they typically let the investigation be completed before any arrests are made” (Jason Schultz, Palm Beach Post).
Hello? Since when do drunken driver’s get to leave the scene of a crash, let alone a fatal crash, when testing positive for drugs/alcohol/substance abuse? According to Florida Statute:
Manslaughter and Vehicular Homicide-s. 316.193 (3), F.S.
- DUI/Manslaughter: Second Degree Felony (not more than $10,000 fine and/or 15 years imprisonment).
- DUI Manslaughter/Leaving the Scene: A driver convicted of DUI Manslaughter who knew/should have known accident occurred; and failed to give information or render aid is guilty of a First Degree Felony (not more than $10,000 fine and/or 30 years imprisonment).
- Vehicular Homicide: Second Degree Felony (not more than $10,000 fine and/or 15 years imprisonment).
- Vehicular Homicide/Leaving the Scene: A driver convicted of vehicular homicide who left the scene of an accident is guilty of a First Degree Felony (nor more than $10,000 fine and/or 30 years imprisonment).
Well, apparently Mr. John Goodman, the officers on the scene, and the detectives and prosecuting attorneys following up feel that this statute (state law, really) does not apply to people who can afford to drive Bentley’s.
The following are quoted from various news sources related to the accident/death of one Scott Patrick Wilson (For further information, please look to the bottom of the article for various links and sites.):
“Initial sheriff’s reports said Goodman ran a stop sign at 1:05 a.m. Friday before his black Bentley convertible crashed into the side of Wilson’s Hyundai Sonata. The reports also said investigators suspect alcohol or drugs played a role.
Even so, major decisions on the case may not happen anytime soon, law enforcement officers, prosecutors and defense attorneys said Tuesday. They said investigations of suspected drunken-driving wrecks typically take weeks if not months, unless authorities have reason to consider the driver a flight risk….Law enforcement found Goodman at a trailer on a dirt road about a quarter-mile south of the crash, which occurred about 1 a.m. at Lake Worth Road and 120th Avenue South, officials with the State Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
Goodman, the 46-year-old owner and founder of the International Polo Club Palm Beach, had gone to the trailer to use the phone to call for help, according to the State Attorney’s Office. The area south of the crash scene is mostly dirt roads and horse farms with few homes.” Jason Schultz, The Palm Beach Post
“Goodman, 46, survived. He was treated and released from Wellington Regional Medical Center hours after the crash.
Details of the crash are scant. Detectives say Goodman was driving south on 120th Avenue when he ran the stop sign and struck Scott Wilson’s car, which was westbound on Lake Worth Road. The Hyundai sank into the canal and Goodman’s $200,000 Bentley came to a stop on a nearby sidewalk, according to a dispatch log.
A 911 caller reported the crash, seeing the smashed-up Bentley, metal, glass and signs that a car may have gone into the canal.
Deputies and paramedics arrived around 1 a.m. Neither the Sheriff’s Office nor Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue confirmed early media reports that Goodman may have fled the scene.
Scott Wilson died at the scene. ” Brian Haas and Missy Diaz, Sun Sentinel
“Investigators suspect John B. Goodman was drinking when he ran a stop sign and plowed into Scott Wilson’s car.
At the accident scene Scott Wilson’s friend have created a memorial in his honor. Meanwhile, many are asking why the suspected drunk driver, John B. Goodman, founder of the International Polo Club Palm Beach, hasn’t been charged with anything at this point.
News Channel 5 Legal Analyst Michelle Suskauer says the investigation will take some time.
‘They are waiting on toxicology reports right now to determine if he was under the influence and what he was under the influence of,’ explains Suskauer.” Kristyn Caddell, wptv.com
http://www.flhsmv.gov/ddl/duilaws.html
To this date Mr. Goodman has not been charged for anything. It has been over a month now and there are no legal charges and even though the police reports shows drunk driving Mr. Goodman has never seen a night in jail. How many of us have ever enjoyed that kind of treatment? Not me.
