Latest Headlines
- Mostly Cloudy Tonight, Low In The Upper 30s
- Escambia Extension, Helton Brothers Farm Donate Pallets Of Peanut Butter
- Final Development Plans For Circle K At Highway 95A, Quintette Road Up For Vote
- Tate Cross County, Golf, Volleyball Named State Academic Team Champions
- Ransom Middle School Names Students Of The Month
- Molino Man Accused Of Aggravated Assault Of Mother, Girlfriend With Ceiling Fan Blade
- These Are This Week’s Road Construction Traffic Delay Hotspots
- Florida Gas Prices Break Even On The Week
- Ice Flyers Rally In Final Period Falls Short In Weekend Series Loss To Macon
- Community Remembers Beau Rodrique, Former Beulah Fire Deputy Chief
Man Gets 20 Years For 2022 DUI Crash That Killed Escambia County Deputy
December 11, 2024
Wednesday, a man was sentenced to 20 years in state prison for he fatal DUI crash that claimed the life of an Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy in October 2022.
Tristen Cole Parker pleaded guilty last month to DUI manslaughter, driving with a suspended license and DUI causing bodily harm. There was no plea deal, and he received the maximum sentence. His sentence included 15 years for the DUI manslaughter followed consecutively by five years for DUI causing serious bodily injury for a total of 20 years.
Parker failed to stop at a stop sign, and his bucket truck struck an oncoming silver Jeep driven by the deputy.
Master Deputy Kevin Ray of Cantonment and his 15-year-old daughter Lauren were traveling from Troy, Alabama, when the crash occurred on Highway 85 just east of Laurel Hill, Florida, at 8:40 p.m. on October 15, 2022.
Ray was pronounced deceased at the scene and his daughter was airlifted to an area hospital. The 2012 white Dodge bucket truck driven by Parker overturned multiple times, destroying utility poles before coming to rest in a field in the southwest corner of the intersection.
“There were beer cans near the passenger door of the Dodge truck that were in the pickup and thrown while overturning,” the investigating trooper wrote in an arrest report obtained by NorthEscambia.com.
“When the witness rolled up on the crash, Tristen Cole Parker had self-extricated from his vehicle but identified himself as the sole occupant and operator of the suspect vehicle,” the report states. “While being treated on scene by Okaloosa County Fireman Paramedic (redacted), Tristen Cole Parker admitted to consuming 3 to 4 alcohol beverages prior to the collision. (The paramedic) also smelled an odor of alcohol coming from Tristan Cole Parker while he was speaking.”
Parker was transported to an area hospital for treatment.
“During conversation with Tristen Cole Parker, Mr. Parker spontaneously uttered to (the trooper) that he had 2 or 3 ‘beers’ prior to the collision’,” the report continues. Despite initial consent for a voluntary blood draw, Parker refused to provide the blood sample when hospital staff arrived in his room.
An FHP traffic homicide investigator also noted that Parker had bulged eyes, slurred speech, a dry mouth, thick tongue, flushed face and smelled of alcohol in the emergency room. The investigator said Parker had labored breathing, slow deliberate movements and repeated himself.
FHP said Parker’s certified driving record from Texas showed multiple convictions for driving with suspended license in that state.
Ray had been a member of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office family for over 20 years. He had been assigned to courthouse security for over a decade.
Comments
12 Responses to “Man Gets 20 Years For 2022 DUI Crash That Killed Escambia County Deputy”
@Melissa Fife, the people are judging your son for the way he carried himself throughout the situation..also, you tell people that they don’t know your son as a person, etc etc..his record with the law, provides all of the information. It’s a tragedy, on both sides. But don’t stand there like he’s high and mighty. 20 years is not long enough for purposefully taking a vehicle without permission, drinking and driving and then killing someone..and to top it all off, he was an absolute coward through out the case. He should’ve owned up and accepted responsibility from the beginning.
Bates: So if someone gets a suspended license, and they do everything by law to get it taken care of and reinstated later. In the meantime, they should be in jail, and not take care of their family or have the ability to take care of the measures to have their license reinstated? Make it make sense please ?
Melissa Fife,
Our family has endured enough pain and suffering at the hands of your son. To shift the blame on an “unsafe intersection” (despite all of the facts that were laid out in court) and take scripture out of context for your benefit only adds salt to our wounds. No one is seeking “vengeance”. All we’ve ever wanted was justice. We don’t want your thoughts and we don’t want your prayers We would prefer if you never mention us again. We just want to move on with our lives and heal as best we can.
I appreciate Tristen Cole Parker’s Mothers words, and wish her family a chance to close this chapter. I stand by my previous comments, as someone that served the navy over 20 years, a law officer for 14 years and Kevin Ray worked with me, and I am close to his family. My question to Cole’s Mother is why oh why was he even behind the control of a vehicle when he had NO VALID DRIVERS LICENSE? Where were you to teach him to abide by the laws?? I understand his remorse now, but were was that the night of October 15,2022?? No need to preach the Bible to any of us still grieving!!!!
Fact 1: It is not the intersection’s fault.
Fact 2: Parker has had multiple speeding infractions and failure to appear charges in the past, proving time and time again he has no respect for the law or the safety of others. This is proven in court records.
Fact 3: Parker was driving with a revoked driver’s license. There is a reason his license was revoked (see #1&2). Again. Proven in court records.
Fact 4: Parker’s BAL 5 HOURS AFTER the crash was nearly twice the legal limit. (see #1). Proven in court records.
Fact 5: Parker was going more than twice the speed limit when the crash occurred (see #1). Proven in court records.
Fact 6: Parker was driving a work truck which he took/stole from his employer without permission (see #1). Proven in court records.
Fact 7: Parker never accepted responsibility, hence the NO CONTEST plea. Waiting until the sentencing hearing TWO YEARS LATER does not count. Perhaps if he had taken responsibility sooner, the judge would have granted some leniency.
Fact 8: There is a big difference between revenge and justice, and in this case JUSTICE wins!
Fact 9: A hypocrite is someone who twists the Bible to fit their own personal agenda. A heinous crime happened. It very easily could have been prevented. People are angry and rightfully so.
Melissa Fife:
Fact: your son was twice the legal limit. It was not the intersection’s fault. I can see failure to accept responsibility runs in the family. Maybe if your boy had accepted responsibility for his actions two years ago instead of dragging this poor family through this nightmare then the Judge would have looked more favorably on him. All someone has to do is look at his social media to see he’s had a drinking problem from an early age. Hopefully the time he’s in jail will give him some time to reflect and sober up. And by the way, revenge and Justice are not the same. Thankfully in this case JUSTICE prevailed.
We are all very sick over this and wish we could turn back time and take this all away.
I am Tristen’s momma and I can no longer sit back and listen to people’s horrific comments. I understand the anger and hurt but some of you people are no different and need to find the Lord. Tristen will pay for this for the rest of his life regardless of where he is.
I have spoke to people that live near by and looked up the NUmEROUS amount of accidents that have happened at that intersection. The community has asked for a light for this very reason. This is not me excusing Tristen being guilty of getting in his truck that night but hopes that someone will read this and can help make a difference in preventing further accidents. Our family and Tristen know that he is guilty of getting in that truck and driving and we will and I know the Ray family will always hold this heavy in our hearts.
But it is nobody’s place to play God and speak as if you know who my son is as a human being.
The Bible is very clear on our role with seeking revenge. In Romans 12:19, God tells us to never take revenge and to leave it to the Lord. God is the ultimate judge and when we seek revenge, we are taking His place. When we become overwhelmed with what others have done wrong, we become filled with anger and find ourselves focused on hate. God’s love and forgiveness is seen in our ability to love and forgive
“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
I pray for some of you that one day you will have the wonderful opportunity of accepting Jesus into your heart.
God bless The Ray family and ours ❤️
This criminal plead guilty, my wonder is why he wasn’t sentenced as a “ Habitual Criminal”!!! Seems to me that with prior driving on suspended license cases convictions he has truly demonstrated his desire to NOT BE LAW ABIDING!! A habitual offender doesn’t belong free in society!!! My Dear friend Kevin is no longer with us, Ms Lauren will forever have to deal with physical and mental issues with the loss of her Dad… this criminal will be about 47 years old when sentence is completed, and have the ability at that time to not be law abiding as he has shown to this point !!! I just can’t agree to him ever being free again to inflict more suffering!!
@charlotte and norma bates…that’s why you don’t control anything.
@Charlotte Bates, so you think this crash happened because of a suspended license? That’s what you took from this. He would’ve been drinking and driving, license or not. I definitely agree that there should be harsher punishments for DUI but you’re saying instead of suspending a license, for whatever crime or punishment it would be suspended for, put them in jail for the 6 months to a year or howvever long? Do you how much money it takes to house, clothe and feed an inmate? DUI shouldn’t get a slap on the wrist for your first or second one, like it is now. But there’s other ways your license can be suspended…that doesn’t mean they should incarcerate as oppose to a license suspension for those crimes. Use your brain.
Escambia County lost a good man that day !
This is why I believe that anyone gets a suspended license, to keep them from driving, put them in jail for the length of their suspension. That way, they can’t drive, and possibly kill, or seriously hurt someone, and probably save a life.