Woman, 76, dies when truck slams into Lakeland house, driver charged with DUI manslaughter

LAKELAND — A 76-year-old woman was killed early Thursday morning when a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado slammed into the front guest bedroom of her home, ran through the dining room and came to rest in the kitchen.

Janice Folds of 5404 Orange Valley Drive was killed instantly, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Ryan Tallent, 24, of Plant City has been charged with DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide. The Sheriff's Office said Tallent was driving at a high rate of speed east on Fitzgerald Road about 4:45 a.m. and lost control of his truck.

Folds was the wife of the Rev. Wyatt Folds, who was about 10 feet away from where his wife was hit. Reports say the couple was awake and Rev. Folds was preparing to go to an early Bible study.

"They were doing what all of us did this morning, just living the American lifestyle," Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said of the couple who had been married for 53 years. "I'm angry beyond words. As adults, we're supposed to be responsible.''

Judd said Tallent appeared intoxicated at the scene and failed a field sobriety test.

Tallent then refused to voluntarily take a blood sobriety test, so investigators obtained a judge’s order to take a blood sample, said sheriff's spokeswoman Donna Wood. She said Tallent had only minor injuries and was transported to the Polk County Jail. He's scheduled for a first-appearance hearing Friday at 1 p.m. at South County Jail in Frostproof.

Tallent has had other brushes with the law, including a 2010 conviction for DUI in Hillsborough County, records show. He was sentenced to community service.

In that case, Tallent was arrested at a convenience store by a Hillsborough sheriff’s deputy who found him at the wheel of a pickup truck, spinning its tires in the parking lot, Wood said.

In 2009, Tallent pleaded no contest to a charge of grand theft in Pinellas County and was ordered to pay a $1,400 fine and court costs, court records show. Adjudication was withheld in the case, meaning there was no criminal conviction.

Judd said investigators are trying to piece together Tallent’s whereabouts in the hours before Thursday’s crash. Witnesses said Tallent attempted to walk away from the scene before deputies arrived.

“He said he had family nearby and tried to walk away,” said Mike Lanham, 53, a neighbor, who helped prevent Tallent from leaving. “I said, ‘You’re not going anywhere,’ so he kind of chilled a little bit. Then the police came. It’s just horrible,” Lanham said. “They (the Folds) are really good people. He always waved and tooted his horn every day to say goodbye to his wife.”

Judd repeated some of his conversation with Wyatt Folds, a retired Presbyterian minister who was up early having coffee and preparing to leave when all of a sudden he heard what sounded like a bomb.

“He (Folds) explained to me that nothing in his life prepared (him) for this,” Judd said. “He said, ‘I was 10 steps behind her (when she was struck). A second or two later I would have been with her.’”

The area around the accident scene was blocked off most of the morning while investigators worked to detail the path of Tallent’s truck. Traffic on Fitzgerald Road also was halted in both directions.

Traffic along Fitzgerald Road has been a source of concern for Burton Fields, 74, whose home also fronts the busy roadway. He said something needs to be done to slow traffic.

“There have been umpteen accidents just down the hill,” he said, pointing eastward toward Scott Lake. ''It’s a dangerous situation. Hopefully out of this tragedy something will be done.”

— Eric Pera can be reached at eric.pera@theledger.com or 863-802-7528.

Ryan Tallent, 24, of Plant City, has been charged with DUI manslaughter and is being booked into the Polk County Jail. The Sheriff's Office said Tallent was driving at a high rate of speed east on Fitzgerald Road and lost control of his truck.

Folds was the wife of the Rev. Wyatt Folds, who was about 10 feet away from where his wife was hit. Reports say the couple were awake and Rev. Folds was preparing to go to an early prayer meeting.