Bradenton woman gets less than a year in jail after fatal hit-and-run crash
A Bradenton woman will avoid prison time and spend less than a year in jail after a 2020 hit-and-run that killed a man known as the “Peace Walker,” according to court records.
A judge sentenced 60-year-old Teresa Zeppi to 364 days in the Manatee County jail with credit for time served, followed by five years of probation, court records show. Judge Peter Dubensky also ordered her to complete a residential treatment program, perform 120 hours of community service at a trauma center or hospital and suspended her driver’s license for five years.
Zeppi faced a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison, according to Florida law.
The sentencing comes after Zeppi was convicted in March of leaving the scene of a crash involving death in connection with the April 2020 incident that killed 82-year-old Joseph Dralus, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
Court records show Zeppi filed a notice of appeal Monday, signaling her intent to challenge the verdict.
An attorney representing Zeppi did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
Jail sentence after fatal Bradenton crash
Known to neighbors as the “Peace Walker,” Dralus was a familiar sight in his Northwest Bradenton neighborhood, often flashing a peace sign during his daily walks.
According to an arrest record, Dralus was walking along the shoulder of Ninth Avenue Northwest when Zeppi veered off the road and struck him. Paramedics took him to HCA Florida Blake Hospital, where he died nearly a month later, on May 21, 2020.
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed a gray SUV stopping on Ninth Terrace Northwest, where a woman exited and wiped something off the bumper before driving away, according to an arrest report. Troopers said they later found a Lincoln Navigator matching that description at Zeppi’s home in Northwest Bradenton. DNA testing confirmed Dralus’ genetic material on the front of the vehicle, according to investigators.
During their investigation, troopers also said they learned that Zeppi was involved in another crash earlier on the same day she fatally struck Dralus. Around noon, she rear-ended another vehicle, causing $2,000 in damage, the agency said. Bradenton police later cited her and she pleaded no contest and paid a $166 fine, according to court records.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers arrested Zeppi around two years after the fatal crash in January 2022, according to an arrest report. She bonded out the same day.
Court records show the case was reassigned to Judge Frederick Mercurio after Judge Matt Whyte recused himself. Zeppi had been scheduled to enter a plea, but court records show the offer was withdrawn before the hearing. Her bond was later revoked during a hearing where prosecutors referenced a 2023 crash in which she was cited for driving with a suspended license.
Dubensky later presided over the trial and sentencing after filling in for Mercurio, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
Court records show Dralus estate has also filed a civil lawsuit against Zeppi seeking $30,000 in damages. That case is ongoing.
