Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Patrol Operations Bureau
-MAIT Team
-Flight Unit
-Dive Team
Support Services Bureau
-Forensics Unit

Dominique M. Battle (Deceased)
DOB: 8/23/1999 (16 years old)
Address: 943 23^rd Avenue South, St. Petersburg

Criminal History:

*** Active Warrant for Violation of Probation- Burglary
10/30/14- Burglary to a Dwelling
11/10/14  Burglary to a Dwelling , Resist Officer without Violence, Trespassing
1/16/15- Vehicle Theft, Resist Officer without Violence
3/16/15- Vehicle Theft
7/9/15- Burglary to a Dwelling, Provide False Name to Law Enforcement
7/25/15- Violation of Probation
11/22/15- Vehicle Theft, Resist Officer without Violence
12/15/15- Possession of Marijuana, Burglary to a Dwelling
1/8/16- Vehicle Theft

Ashaunti N. Butler (Deceased)
DOB: 4/18/2000 (15 years old)
Address: 2311 ½ 1^st Avenue South, St. Petersburg

Criminal History:
***Active Warrant for Failure to Appear- Resisting Officer without Violence and 2 counts of Petit Theft
***Active Pick-up Order- Runaway
5/5/15 Resist Officer without Violence, Retail Theft
11/21/15- Vehicle Theft
12/9/15- Burglary to a Dwelling, Burglary to a Conveyance
1/18/16- Vehicle Theft, Possession of Marijuana, Burglary, Petit Theft
3/29/16- Violation of Probation- Trespassing

Laniya D. Miller (Deceased)
DOB: 4/21/2000 (15 years old)
Address: 2847 6^th Street South, St. Petersburg

Criminal History:
3/16/15- Vehicle Theft

Damien L. Marriott (Vehicle Owner-Victim of Auto Theft)
DOB: 04/01/1980
Address: 214 37th Avenue, St. Petersburg
​Vehicle: 1990 Honda Accord

What:
Three teen girls, two of them 15, the other 16-year-of age- are dead after they crashed, a vehicle they stole, - into a pond at the Royal Palm Cemetery in St. Petersburg.

The girls all had criminal records to include seven grand theft auto charges against them in just the last year.

When:
The crash into the pond occurred overnight on March 31, 2016.

Where:
The crash occurred at the pond on the property of the Royal Palm Cemetery located at 2600 Gandy Boulevard.

Why/How:
During a news conference held on the afternoon of March 31, 2016, Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri laid out the timeline of events that led up to the crash as follows:

A deputy spotted the vehicle driving eastbound on Sunset Point Road near US 19.

The vehicle did not have its headlights on. The deputy activated emergency equipment, and then deactivated as the incident did not meet the criteria for a pursuit.

The suspect vehicle continued and was seen going through a stoplight.

Another deputy then saw the vehicle in the area of US 19 and Ulmerton Road. The deputy confirmed the vehicle had been stolen out of St. Petersburg.

The deputy monitored the vehicle from a distance. The deputy was in an unmarked car.

The vehicle continued until it reached Gandy Boulevard and Frontage Road and entered the cemetery. The vehicle then drove towards the back of the cemetery and into the pond.

The conditions were dark and it is possible the driver thought she could exit onto the highway.

The Sheriff’s Dive Team was called. The team pulled the vehicle from the water.

The bodies of three teenage girls were found inside. The girls were subsequently identified as 16-year-old Dominique Battle, 15-year-old Ashaunti N. Butler, and 15-year-old Laniya D. Miller.

Investigators say it was not clear who was driving the vehicle as the girls appeared to have been tossed around in the vehicle following the crash

Through the investigation deputies learned that the girls had stolen the vehicle, after they were given a ride by the vehicle owner, identified as 35-year-old Damian Marriott .  Investigators say Marriott  was going to take them to Child’s Park. Deputies say, however, that Marriott first stopped at the WalMart store located  in south St Petersburg -to buy a TV. He left the girls in the car with the vehicle running, and when he returned the girls had taken the car.

After providing the timeline, Sheriff Gualtieri described the current state of affairs as it relates to auto thefts. The Sheriff described the number of occurrences of auto thefts by youth from the area of South St. Petersburg – as an epidemic. The Sheriff said law enforcement would continue to do its part to suppress this type of criminal activity, to include the work of the Auto Theft Task Force, but stated other ways to combat the problem must be found. “Solutions need to come deep from within the community. Kids need to know there are consequences. This is a systematic and complex problem,” said the Sheriff. “Three dead teenagers is not acceptable,” he added.

View press conference here: https://youtu.be/qDuBE4CYPqc

The investigation continues.