Driver faces DUI manslaughter charge after crash kills North Port High School student

Police say a 19-year-old woman is facing charges of DUI manslaughter after she lost control of a car transporting 13 people, killing one of the passengers.

Around 2:39 a.m., Stephanie Evrard, of Port Charlotte, was driving a 2010 Toyota SUV on Joe Wood Circle. Investigators say she failed to negotiate the curve at the intersection of Genip Court, resulting in a rollover crash that ejected and killed a 17-year-old female North Port High School student from the vehicle.

According to a North Port Police Department crash report, some of the 13 people riding the car were on the roof. Three passengers were taken to local hospitals, two of them by Bayflite.

“Another sad day in North Port involving young people drinking and driving,” North Port Police said in a tweet Saturday morning. “One life lost and a few ruined.”

In a Facebook post Saturday morning, North Port High School announced that previously scheduled drama performances for Saturday night and Sunday afternoon have been canceled “out of respect for a grieving school community.”

“We are thinking about all our students, families and community members during this time,” the post read.

Evrard faces charges of DUI manslaughter, two counts of DUI with serious personal injury and DUI property damage. She is being held at the Sarasota County Jail without bond.

Investigators continue to look into the details of the crash. Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Greg Pierce at (941) 429-7300.

This story was originally published April 6, 2019 at 6:34 PM.