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Northmont grad charged in Florida crash that killed Clayton native

Ohio native Danielle N. Bowman, 25, now of Estero, Fla., was arrested the morning of Thursday, March 24, 2011, on charges of DUI manslaughter, DUI with serious injury and DUI. A breath test suggested her blood alcohol content was 0.146, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08. She is accused of driving a car that killed Clayton native, Ryan Gilhooly, 29, who was vacationing in Florida. A third backseat passenger, Jordon Roe, 29, of Clayton, was rushed to Lee Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.

Submitted/Lee County Sheriff's Office Ohio native Danielle N. Bowman, 25, now of Estero, Fla., was arrested the morning of Thursday, March 24, 2011, on charges of DUI manslaughter, DUI with serious injury and DUI. A breath test suggested her blood alcohol content was 0.146, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08. She is accused of driving a car that killed Clayton native, Ryan Gilhooly, 29, who was vacationing in Florida. A third backseat passenger, Jordon Roe, 29, of Clayton, was rushed to Lee Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.

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Staff Report Updated 11:16 AM Friday, March 25, 2011

A 29-year-old Clayton native, who authorities said was riding with friends after a night of drinking at a local bar, died earlier Thursday morning after his friend lost control of her car and crashed into a tree in the gated community of Estero, Fla., south of Fort Myers, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Ryan Gilhooly, an Air Force veteran who was living in Chicago, was a passenger in a car driven by Danielle N. Bowman, 25, of Estero, authorities said. Gilhooly was pronounced dead at the scene. A third passenger, Jordon Roe, 29, suffered lung and other serious injuries and remained at Lee Memorial Hospital Thursday night.

Bowman suffered minor injuries, while a fourth passenger, Martin Foster, was not injured, the sheriff’s office said.

The four friends are Northmont High School graduates, according to school officials and friends. Authorities said Gilhooly, a 1999 graduate, Roe and Foster, who both live in the Dayton area, were on vacation visiting Bowman.

Bowman has been charged with felony DUI manslaughter, DUI serious bodily injury and DUI, the sheriff’s office said. She is held without bond in Lee County Jail, and her trail date has been set for April 25, according to sheriff’s records.

The report said at 2:16 a.m. Bowman’s a white Pontiac failed to negotiate a right curve inside the West Bay community, spun in the road and struck a tree in the left rear passenger seat, where Gilhooly was seated.

According to the Naples Daily News, Foster told a traffic homicide detective the group was returning from a night of drinking at “a British bar” and “a club named Larry’s” when the accident occurred. He said he saw Bowman drink a rum and soda at the first bar but was unsure how much she drank that night.

A security guard at the West Bay Club told the detective she admitted the car into the community after Foster presented ID and a guest pass. The guard said she had barely raised the gate when Bowman sped into the community.

Breath tests administered to Bowman showed her blood alcohol level ranging between 0.146 and 0.138, according to sheriff’s reports. The legal limit is 0.08.

Bowman, deputies said, was disruptive with the nurses and urinated on the floor. Officers said she also showed signs of impairment. Deputies said Bowman told them she was taking medication for asthma.

Gilhooly moved to Chicago to finish his college degree after serving several years as an Air Force firefighter, said Rachael Woodie, a Northwood Elementary first-grade teacher who graduated with Gilhooly.

“He came to my first-grade class on Veterans Day this year and the kids got to ask him questions,” she said.

Northmont athletic director Robin Spiller said Gilhooly “was lanky and soft spoken. He got along with everybody. He wasn’t a troublemaker.”

The News-Press in Ft. Myers, Fla., and Naples Daily News contributed to this report.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2341 or kullmer@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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