Sarasota woman sentenced to over 11 years in fatal DUI crash

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - A Sarasota woman has been sentenced in connection with a 2020 fatal that occurred in September 2020.

Alyssa Raffaele, 52, of Sarasota, was sentenced to 138 month (11.5 years) for the crash.

The crash occurred on Sept. 29, 2020 when Sarasota Police responded to a hit-and-run crash at the intersection of S. Osprey Avenue and Grove Street. A man riding a motorized scooter was hit by an SUV. The driver of the SUV did not stop at the scene of the crash. The man was taken to the hospital where he later died.

Shortly after the crash, the SUV was stopped. Raffaele was driving the vehicle and officers suspected she was under the influence of alcohol. Sarasota Police officers conducted Field Sobriety Exercises and ultimately arrested Raffaele for DUI. Raffaele was transported to the Sarasota County Jail and a breath sample was collected. The sample results were a 0.294 alcohol level.

After the victim died, Sarasota Police Traffic Homicide Investigators took over the case. Through their investigation, they found that Raffaele was responsible for the hit-and-run crash.

On August 14, 2023, Raffaele pled no contest to DUI Manslaughter with Failure to Render Aid and on September 12, 2023, was sentenced to 138 months (11.5 years) in the Department of Corrections, followed by 3 years of probation.

Raffaele has a lifetime driver’s license revocation, as well as other DUI sanctions.