Two arrested in connection with Dwyer High School student's drowning
Two people have been arrested in connection with the death of a 17-year-old Dwyer High School student who reportedly stole a vehicle hours prior to drowning in a canal in 2022. (Jupiter Police)
JUPITER, Fla. (CBS12) — Two people have been arrested in connection with the death of a 17-year-old Dwyer High School student who reportedly stole a vehicle hours prior to drowning in a canal in 2022.
In February of 2022, 17-year-old Tiger Rollins and two others fled from Jupiter police after stealing a Nissan vehicle from the Mallards Cove development, according to the arrest report. The body of Rollins was found hours later in a canal near Alternate A1A and Donald Ross Road.
Now, 17-year-old Isabella Sitarik and 19-year-old Emonte Brown have been arrested and charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, fleeing or attempting to elude, and third-degree felony murder.
“And a lot of people would say wait a minute, his friends didn't hold them down underwater. They didn't you know, cause him to drown in a way. And it's really irrelevant. The fact that they did not intend his death. They all stand in the shoes of one another in the commission of that felony,” Patrick McKamey, a criminal defense attorney and former homicide prosecutor, said.
According to police, the three crashed the stolen car into a median before fleeing from the vehicle. Brown reportedly admitted to his mother that the trio fled into a wooded area and then into a canal.
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While some may think the felony crime of stealing the car was over, it becomes an ongoing crime when you flee the scene.
"Reality is prosecution is going to argue they were still fleeing the scene trying to avoid apprehension by the police. That's why they jumped into the water. And at that point, whatever happens would still fall under the umbrella of third-degree felony murder,” McKamey said.
The arrest report said Brown yelled to Tiger to "turn back" after having issues staying above water. The report goes on to say Brown told his mother they never saw Tiger again after entering the water. But that doesn’t make a difference under Florida law.
"The legislative intent behind these types of laws is to deter criminal conduct among groups of people that hey, if you go out and do this and someone dies in the course of your conduct, you know you're all committing a felony, you know you're all in it, you're going to be held responsible if something goes sideways,” McKamey said.
Rollins' death was deemed accidental back in February after his body was found in the canal by a dive team the following morning.
The report reads, "Neither Brown nor Sitarik called anyone to tell them Tiger Rollins was in the water when they left him."
On Wednesday, Brown and Sitarik appeared in court where a judge set their bond at $68,000 and ordered neither party to contact the Rollins family.