A Florida driver has been arrested and charged with DUI manslaughter after authorities say he struck and killed a well-known elementary school math teacher and the teacher’s young son while they were walking through a crosswalk.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Mitchell Patch was crossing the street with his 1-year-old son, Everett, on May 16 when a Honda Civic driving eastbound hit them.
Following a six-month investigation, the sheriff’s office announced the arrest of 24-year-old Logan Fletcher Park in connection with the tragedy.
After the crash, Park was taken to a hospital, where his blood alcohol content was allegedly measured at .107 — over the legal limit, officials stated. A warrant was later issued for his arrest, and he turned himself in on Sunday, Nov. 9.
Park faces two counts of DUI manslaughter. Court records do not currently indicate whether he has entered a plea or secured an attorney.
Patch had attended a party at a nearby restaurant before the fatal collision and was holding his son as they crossed the street at the time of the impact, as WJXT previously reported. “We were in the middle of a rush when it happened,” restaurant manager Dylan Williams told the outlet. “Next thing you know, we just started seeing flashing lights… We kind of figured something more intense happened.”
Patch was named Teacher of the Year for the 2023-24 school year at Bayview Elementary School, where he worked for 12 years, The Florida Times-Union reported.
A GoFundMe created to support Patch’s wife and family has raised more than $150,000, with the organizer writing that the family now faces “the immense challenge of grieving while trying to manage any financial burdens that come with such a tragedy.”
