Intentional crash leads to 10 years in prison
A man who seriously injured a Cape Coral woman by intentionally crashing into her car after a failed relationship was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday.
Donny Crecelius, 61, was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by five years probation for intentionally driving his car into another car to hurt someone. The first two years of probation he will be on community control with a GPS monitor attached to his ankle as part of his house arrest. He also had his driver’s license revoked for life.
He pleaded no contest to the charges of First Degree Burglary with Assault or Battery, Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon, DUI Serious Bodily Injury, DUI (Level of .15 or More), and two counts of DUI Damage Person/Property (.15 level). Crecelius was adjudicated guilty.
The incident occurred in April 2018. Crecelius followed the victim from her job to her condominium complex in the Cape. When the victim parked, the defendant tried to pull her out of her car but she managed to stay inside. He began calling her names and threatened to kill her, angry that they had ended a relationship.
Crecelius then got back in his car and drove a short distance, turned his car around and drove straight at the victim, hitting her car head on with her still in the driver’s seat. Crecelius was found to be under the influence of alcohol and was more than two times over the legal limit. Both the victim and the defendant were taken to the hospital for their injuries. The victim survived after suffering serious injuries and is recovering. The defendant was arrested and has been incarcerated since the incident.
Assistant State Attorney Michael Colombo Jr. handled the case.
Source: State Attorney’s Office