A bill passed by the Florida House and Senate to add more punishments for drivers who kill people in DUI crashes is heading to Governor Ron DeSantis’ desk.
It’s named “Trenton’s Law” in honor of Trenton Stewart, the Creekside High School graduate killed in a wrong-way DUI crash in May 2023 after finishing his first year playing football for Stetson University.
Right now, Florida law says drivers responsible for killing others in DUI crashes can face up to 15 years in prison, regardless of how many times they’re convicted of doing it. “Trenton’s Law” sets a prison sentence of up to 30 years for drivers convicted more than once. It also adds criminal charges for those who say no to a breathalyzer test after being pulled over.
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“What Trenton had to go through that night really impacted a lot of people,” said Mandi Stewart, Trenton’s mother, who has been working the last two years to get this bill passed. “We came together in unity and we said this isn’t going to happen like this again.”
Action News Jax told you in January when Ariel Monteagudo was sentenced to 12 years in prison for taking Trenton Stewart’s life in the crash. His arrest report says he was going 111 miles per hour when he hit Trenton head-on, 66 miles over the 45-mile-per-hour speed limit. The report also says he was high on marijuana and cocaine when he drove into the wrong lane and hit Trenton’s car as he was stopped on Old St. Augustine Road.
Monteagudo’s criminal history shows this was his second time being sentenced to prison for killing someone in a DUI crash. His sentence at the time was a little longer than 10 years, not much shorter than the 12-year sentence he just received.
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The Stewart family hopes this new effort at the state level will help keep other families from losing loved ones, especially to those who’ve already been convicted in deadly DUI crashes, even though they understand it won’t change what happened.
“It will give us an opportunity now to just take a little bit of a breath and know that we have created something that will help other families,” Stewart said.
Mandi and her husband, Rob, apart from working to get this bill passed, have used the last two years since Trenton’s death building what they’ve named the Trenton Stewart Foundation, which raises scholarship money for other student athletes like their son. They’re hoping that, going forward, they’ll be able to dedicate more of their time toward growing the organization and the number of students it is working to help.
“No day ever gets easier, this is the rest of our lives. But I truly think Trenton is shining down, giving us strength,” said Stewart.
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