Man charged in death of Shae Burchfield

Historic City News has been notified that at about 4:30 p.m. this afternoon, 51 year-old Frederick James Andrews was arrested in connection with the vehicular homicide of 18 year-old Shae Lynn Burchfield of St. Augustine.

Andrews, who resides at 477 Castano Street in St. Augustine, has been charged with DUI Manslaughter, a second degree felony, and is in custody in the St. Johns County Detention Facility in lieu of $50,000.00 bond.

Andrews collided with the front end of Burchfield’s dirt bike on July 8, 2010; leaving Burchfield dead, according to FHP Homicide Investigator Corporal Cohn. The two vehicle, head-on collision occurred just after 2:30 in the afternoon on Wildwood Drive at South Winter Hawk Drive.

The victim was driving a Honda dirt bike northbound on Wildwood Drive when she attempted to turn across the southbound lane; into the path of Andrews’ oncoming 1994 Ford Pick-Up truck.

According to the report provided to Historic City News by FHP Lt. Bill Leeper, Andrews was uninjured in the accident — his truck sustained about $3000 in damage. Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Devine investigated the crash.

Troopers said witnesses saw Andrews driving erratically before the crash. They said FHP investigators took a blood sample from Andrews at the scene of the crash to determine if alcohol or drugs were present in his system.

Investigators reported an extensive blood analysis showed that Xanax, cocaine and methadone were in Andrews’ system at the time of the crash, and investigators determined that Andrews was under the influence of drugs while he was driving.

Photo credits: © 2011 Historic City News contributed photographs