Unlicensed Teen Driver, Father Charged In Fatal Crash: St. Pete Police

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA — A father and his unlicensed teenage son face charges related to a fatal hit-and-run crash, according to a St. Petersburg Police Department news release.

Ricky Bishop, 61, was arrested Thursday and charged with allowing an unlicensed person to drive his vehicle involving death. He received a notice to appear in court for this misdemeanor charge, police said.

Bishop is the owner of a Chevrolet Camaro driven by his 17-year-old son during the Nov. 26 crash.

That night the teen was driving his father’s car just after 10 p.m., heading north on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street South at the time of the accident.

• Also Read: Unlicensed Teen Driver, Mother Charged In Fatal Crash: St. Pete Police

The boy hit the driver’s side of a car driven by 87-year-old Denry Gayle, who was traveling west from the stop sign at 30th Avenue South and turning south onto Dr. MLK Jr. Street, police said.

The 17-year-old, who doesn’t have a valid driver’s license, was taken into custody not long after driving away from the scene, according to SPPD.

Gayle was brought to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg where he was pronounced dead from his injuries.

The teen was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death and operating a motor vehicle without a license involving death, police said.

While St. Pete police released the suspect’s name, the agency’s news release didn’t indicate whether he was being charged as a juvenile or an adult. It is Patch's policy not to identify those in the juvenile court system.

Patch reached out to SPPD for additional information and this story will be updated when the agency responds.