Suspect in Miami Gardens hit-and-run deaths owes $8,000 in traffic fines, released on bond
The man accused of being the hit-and-run driver who killed two Florida Memorial University students Sunday night owes $9,747 in fines and court costs, $8,000 of which are traffic fines. Much of that comes from an 18-year history of driving without a license.
Jerome Harrell of Miami Gardens posted $20,000 bond and was released from Miami-Dade Corrections custody on Wednesday.
That’s from online court, traffic and corrections records in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Harrell was arrested Sunday night on two counts of leaving the scene of a crash involving a death — one count for 19-year-old Asiayanna Green of South Carolina and one count for 18-year-old Sharaya Story of West Palm Beach.
Prosecutors can still file other charges against Harrell.
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A Sunday night walk in Miami Gardens
An arrest report says surveillance video from a home in the 16200 block of Northwest 42nd Avenue “corroborated the exact statement” from a witness who had been driving south on LeJeune Road between 11 and 11:30 p.m. Sunday.
The report says she saw three women walking in the center turn lane. After passing them, she “heard a loud engine-type sound...when she looked back, she saw what appeared to be a dust cloud” and a car “skidding southbound on Northwest 42nd Avenue in the northbound lanes.”
She said she swung around, saw a body in the center turn lane and parked her car so that woman’s body wouldn’t be struck again. As she called 911, she saw another young woman’s body in the northbound lane, then re-parked her car to block both lanes.
While on the phone, she saw the driver of the previously skidding car get out and try to open the driver’s side rear door of her car. Another witness told police the driver yelled, “What just hit me?” before running from the tragedy.
Both Green and Story died in the street. Meanwhile, police say Harrell began shedding clothes down to his boxers. After police found him in the back of a house in the 16200 block of Northwest 40th Court, they said they found his ball cap, blue T-shirt with a Bass Pro Shops logo and blue jeans with a wallet. Inside the wallet was a Florida driver’s license and credit cards.
No notation was made as to whether or not the driver’s license was valid.
Jerome Harrell driving record and unpaid fines
▪ Sept. 6, 2004: Ticketed for driving without a license in Miami Gardens. After a few years of failing to appear for court dates and not making payments, the original $408 fine grew to $741.50. Harrell still owes $622.70.
▪ Nov. 1, 2005: Ticketed for driving without a license in Miami Gardens. Harrell pleaded no contest and got a $319 fine. He now owes $414.70 on this ticket.
▪ June 3, 2007: In Miami Gardens, Harrell got tickets for driving without a license, no license plate, unlawful temporary tag and window tint violations. He pleaded no contest to the driving without a license charge, paid $298 and the other tickets were dismissed.
▪ June 21, 2008: Florida Highway Patrol ticketed Harrell for driving without a license, no license plate and expired car registration. Harrell pleaded no contest to driving without a license. His original fine was $929. He owes $1,207.
▪ July 11, 2008: Doral police gave Harrell tickets for no driver’s license, knowingly driving without a license and cutting through private property to avoid a stoplight. Once again, Harrell pleaded no contest to no driver’s license. The other tickets were dismissed and he let the original $383 fine grow to the current amount of $497.90.
▪ Oct. 7, 2008: A ticket in Miami Gardens for driving without a license knowingly was eventually dismissed after Harrell paid $175 and went into a diversion program. But he failed to appear at several hearings, had bench warrants issued for him and eventually got hit with a $96 court penalty of which he still owes $96.
▪ Oct. 9, 2008: Six tickets from Miami-Dade police were dismissed in two weeks but a $50 penalty was assessed for unclear reasons. Harrell still owes the $50.
▪ Nov. 3, 2008: Miami Gardens police ticketed Harrell again for not having a license ($383 original fine, he now owes $497.90) and not waiting his turn at a four-way stop sign intersection ($166 fine, now $215.80).
▪ Jan. 1, 2009: Harrell celebrated the New Year by getting ticketed by Miami-Dade police for no driver’s license, driving without a license knowingly and running a red light. He pleaded not guilty to all three, got convicted on the last two and actually paid the fines, $358 and $199, respectively.
▪ March 30, 2009: Miami-Dade police ticketed him for no driver’s license. The original $883 fine has grown to $1,180.40.
▪ April 18, 2009: Miami-Dade police ticketed Harrell for driving without a license knowingly. He pleaded no contest and the disposition repeated the previous month: an $883 fine that late fees have morphed into $1,180.40 after no payments.
▪ April 22, 2010: After a car burglary and petty theft arrest in Pembroke Pines, Harrell got a year’s probation that he violated in seven months. He still owes $642.00 in court costs and restitution.
▪ Feb. 9, 2011: A Miami-Dade police arrest for car burglary, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and possession of burglary tools led to three convictions. He was sentenced to 141 days in jail (time served) and $1,105 in costs and fines. There’s no online record of payment.
▪ Aug. 30, 2012: A six-ticket encounter with Miami-Dade police ended with Harrell pleading no contest to reckless driving and being dunned $863.75, which is now $1,172.87.
▪ Sept. 18, 2012: Another no driver’s license ticket, this one in North Miami, but with a fine of only $408 that’s up to $432.90.
▪ June 2, 2013: Charged with fleeing and eluding a police officer, resisting an officer without violence and leaving the scene of a crash with injuries in Miami-Dade. On May 23, 2014, he was sentenced to 180 days in jail, two years probation and fined $853, which Harrell paid. His probation got lifted after a year.
▪ Sept. 20, 2021: Ticketed in Miramar for going 75 mph in a 45 zone on Miramar Parkway and driving without a valid license. The speeding ticket was dismissed and he pleaded no contest to driving without a license. He has yet to pay the original $293 fine, and now with late fees owes $432.25.
This story was originally published February 16, 2023 at 12:48 PM.
