CAPE CORAL, Fla. (AP) - The Lee County Sheriff’s Office will pay $300,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of a teen killed by a deputy’s patrol car.
Local media outlets report that the settlement was reached in October, but the amount couldn’t be disclosed previously because of a confidentiality agreement.
Authorities say 15-year-old Austin Dukette was riding his bike to school in August 2014 when a patrol car driven by Deputy Douglas Hood struck him. Hood was originally cited for reckless driving after Cape Coral police concluded he was adjusting the brightness on his cruiser’s laptop around the time of the crash. A judge later tossed the citation, and Hood denied using his laptop during an internal investigation.
The settlement absolves Hood and the sheriff’s office from further responsibility. The payout will come from the agency’s liability insurance.
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