Father killed after son drags him down road in SUV

FORT WALTON BEACH — A 35-year-old man was arrested after dragging and killing his father with his SUV.

Joseph Schumacher’s father fell out of his moving vehicle shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday night on Jonquil Avenue. Schumacher then left the scene, headed south, and caused a three-car accident on U.S. Highway 98 in Mary Esther. He left that scene, ran through a yard and over some mailboxes and was arrested on Ruby Circle.

Stephen Schumacher, 67, was a passenger in his son’s vehicle when he fell out, according to Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Kenneth Salter. The father got tangled up in his seatbelt, which looped around him as he fell out, causing him to be dragged by the SUV.

A witness said she saw a vehicle traveling southbound on Woodbine Circle in front of her house, dragging a man along the road, the report said.

Joseph Schumacher continued south after passing the witness’ house and turned left on Jonquil Avenue, according to a Florida Highway Patrol media release. His father came loose from the vehicle and came to a rest in the southbound lane of Jonquil Avenue. The son drove off.

Attempts were made to bring in a medical helicopter to transport Stephen Schumacher, but the weather prevented that, according to Ocean City-Wright PIO Lt. Ryan Christen.

He was instead taken to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center where he later died, Christen said.

After the driver fled the scene, he got into another crash, Salter said.

Schumacher was traveling southbound on Regency Park Drive in Mary Esther when he ran a stop sign at U.S. Highway 98, according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office offense report. Rhea Rogers-Earls, driving a Nissan sedan, tried to stop but hit the left rear of Schumacher’s white Ford Explorer.

The Explorer then spun around to face westbound traffic and crashed head-on with George Dearing, who was driving a Honda sedan, the report said.

Dearing said Schumacher looked at him, threw his SUV in reverse, and drove off northbound on Regency Park Drive. Dearing described Schumacher as a white man with chin-length blond hair.

After Emergency Medical Services arrived on the scene, Rogers-Earls did not complain of injury but was taken to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center because she was pregnant, the report said.

While leaving the scene of the accident, Schumacher ran through a resident’s fence on Regency Park Drive, leaving tire tracks in the yard, the report said. He also ran over two mailboxes and a palm tree on Miramar Drive.

A deputy then responded after a caller saw a suspicious man on Ruby Circle, the report said. The deputy found a blond-haired man urinating next to a white Ford Explorer and identified him as Joseph Schumacher.

A Florida State Trooper was at the scene investigating the death of Schumacher’s father, according to the report. Schumacher became combative and was detained. Schumacher was “swaying back and fourth and side to side” and had bloodshot eyes.

He started to cry and said he had been drinking alcohol at the High Tide restaurant with his father, according to the report. Schumacher was taken into custody and blew a .183 and .163 on the alcohol breath test, the report stated.

Both test results are over twice the legal limit in Florida.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office issued four driving under the influence citations for property damage and four citations for leaving the scene of an accident.

FHP charges relating to the father’s death are still pending an investigation. Toxicology tests were being run and an autopsy of the father was being preformed. Salter said there were few witnesses to what happened between Schumacher and his father.

“We’ve got a lot of unknowns that we’re trying to answer,” he said.