Left: Sarah Nowlin (Escambia County Jail). Right: Calvin Garlick (Mason County Press).
A 40-year-old Florida woman is headed to prison for up to 15 years for fleeing the scene after hitting a man on a scooter, leading to an internal decapitation that caused his death.
Sarah Rachel Nowlin pleaded no contest to leaving the scene of a crash involving death in the hit-and-run death of 34-year-old Calvin Anthony Garlick in Pensacola, court records say. On Wednesday, a judge sentenced Nowlin to 15 years behind bars, four of which must be served before she is eligible for parole, the First Judicial Circuit State Attorney”s Office said in a press release.
“This defendant knew what she was doing was wrong,” said Charles Britt, prosecuting attorney for the case. “Evidence came out that Ms. Nowlin knew she had hit a person, lied about it to everyone, including her 8-year-old child who was in the car at the time of the crash, tried to hide the vehicle in a wooded area and continued to cover up the crime in an attempt to evade responsibility. Nowlin had several opportunities to do the right thing, but instead made a calculated decision to choose self-preservation at every turn.”
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The incident occurred shortly before 10 p.m. on Jan. 26, 2024 on West Nine 1/2 Mile Road near the intersection of Omar Avenue, a probable cause arrest affidavit said. Garlick was heading home from work when he was hit. A man who lived in the home near where the crash occurred discovered Garlick in a ditch, unconscious and not breathing. Paramedics rushed to the scene and pronounced Garlick dead.
Several car parts from a 2008 Toyota Prius were left behind at the scene. Surveillance video was able to capture a white car speeding by the home at the time of the crash, which was sent out to cops and local media. The day after the incident, cops found the Prius in a wooded area. The property owner called about a “suspicious vehicle” with front-end damage behind some trees and bushes. There was also an empty wine bottle by the car.
Detectives with the Florida Highway Patrol discovered the car was indeed the one involved in the crash. Next, troopers spoke to the vehicle’s owner, who told them he let his roommate, Nowlin, borrow the car that night so she could pick up her daughter. He said Nowlin never returned the car and texted him that “something bad happened.”
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Troopers also interviewed a man who was a passenger in the Prius. He said he felt the car hit something, but Nowlin told him it was a deer. It was only after the fact that he realized they had hit a person. He confirmed to troopers that Nowlin was driving, which was enough for them to arrest her.
Garlick grew up in Michigan before moving to the Sunshine State.
“Calvin was a happy-go-lucky man,” his obituary said. “He was a very hard worker and had various jobs in the hospitality business in Ludington, Grand Rapids and Pensacola.”
