Florida teen arrested, faces multiple charges

Indictment comes 2 years after serious accident in Howell, May 30, 2006

On Feb. 25 a Monmouth County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Robert Bayly, 19, of Cape Coral, Fla., with one count of thirddegree assault by auto and one count of fourth-degree assault by auto. These charges pertain to a 2006 motor vehicle accident that occurred in Howell. Bayly lived in Howell at the time of the accident, according to information provided by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

Bayly had not previously been arrested on the assault by auto charges. On Feb. 25 when the indictment was handed up, state Superior Court Judge Bette E. Uhrmacher set bail for Bayly at $10,000 and issued a warrant for Bayly’s arrest. Initial efforts by law enforcement authorities to locate him within New Jersey were unsuccessful, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Acting on a tip, officers from the Howell Police Department and the Port Authority Police Department arrested Bayly on Uhrmacher’s arrest warrant on March 12 at Newark Liberty International Airport immediately after he disembarked from a flight from Fort Myers, Fla., that had just landed at the airport.

Bayly was transported to the Howell police headquarters for processing, following which he was released after posting bail. A condition of Bayly’s bail is that he remain in New Jersey.

According to the prosecutor’s office, at about 10:04 p.m. on May 30, 2006, Howell police officers responded to the vicinity of the intersection of Lakewood-Allenwood Road and Arnold Boulevard. Upon arrival they found a 2002 Nissan Altima in the middle of Lakewood-Allenwood Road with significant contact damage. Bayly was observed walking away from the vehicle as the police arrived.

A second individual, later determined to have been the front seat passenger, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the crash, was standing outside of the vehicle screaming for help. A third individual, who sustained life-threatening injuries, was trapped in the rear passenger area of the vehicle.

Police and emergency personnel extricated that victim, a 19-year-old boy who was a resident of Howell, who was immediately transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune. He was later transferred to the Brain Trauma Unit of J.F.K. Johnson Rehabilitation Institute at J.F.K.Medical Center in Edison. As a result of the collision, the victim suffers from severe, permanent traumatic brain injury, according to the press release.

An investigation conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office in conjunction with the Monmouth County Serious CollisionAnalysis Response Team and the Howell Police Department revealed that Bayly was operating the Altima in a westerly direction on Lakewood Allenwood Road, in excess of the posted 50 mph speed limit, when he encountered a second motor vehicle traveling in the same direction.

While attempting to pass that vehicle, Bayly lost control of his vehicle, which traveled into and across the eastbound lane, struck a utility pole and then rotated repeatedly before coming to its final resting place.

The investigation further revealed that the three occupants of Bayly’s vehicle, all of whom were below the minimum age for the legal consumption of alcohol in New Jersey, had consumed alcoholic beverages prior to entering the motor vehicle. The investigation additionally revealed that Bayly was operating the motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content in excess of the 0.08 percent legal limit and that Bayly had never been licensed to operate a motor vehicle, according to the prosecutor’s office.

In New Jersey the crime of assault by auto is a crime of the third degree if the victim sustains serious bodily injury, and a crime of the fourth degree if the victim sustains bodily injury. Under New Jersey law the term “serious bodily injury” is defined as an injury which creates a substantial risk of death or which causes a serious, permanent disfigurement, or a protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ. If convicted of the third-degree assault by auto, Bayly faces a maximum potential custodial sentence of up to five years. If convicted of the fourth-degree assault by auto, Bayly faces a maximum potential custodial sentence of up to 18 months.

Bayly was previously issued summonses charging him with the motor vehicle violations of being an unlicensed driver, failure to wear a seat belt, reckless driving and underage driving while intoxicated in connection with the May 30, 2006, motor vehicle accident, according to the press release.