ST. LUCIE COUNTY — The man arrested following a Friday crash on Interstate 95 that resulted in the death of a Florida Highway Patrol trooper and a truck driver was ordered Saturday to be held in jail without bond.
Michael Anthony Addison, 30, of North Lauderdale in Broward County, was booked into the St. Lucie County Jail at 9:21 p.m. Friday following the crash more than 15 hours earlier that fatally injured Trooper Zachary Fink, 26, and a truck driver whose semi collided with Fink’s patrol car.
Charles “Tony” Schwab, the chief judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit, at a 9 a.m. hearing read off the charges to Addison, dressed in orange jail clothing, which included two warrants out of Broward County.
The charges included fleeing and eluding with lights and siren active; aggravated fleeing and eluding resulting in serious injury or death; two counts of vehicular homicide; and driving on a suspended license resulting in death or serious injury.
Schwab told Addison he has a total of $300,000 bond on some charges, but imposed no bond on others.
The Broward County warrants related to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon.
“Before you start posting bond for $300,000 on the ones that you can bond on, talk with your lawyer first. It may be wasted money because you can't get out anyway,” Schwab said. “Understand also, sir, that Broward County has imposed no bond on their warrants.”
Trooper Zachary Fink, died early Friday after pursuing a white Kia on I-95that officials later identified to be driven by Addison.
At a news conference Friday, FHP Col. Gary Howze II,described the events that began at 2:40 a.m. when a St. Lucie County sheriff's deputymade contact with a white Kia driven on West Midway Road. He said the vehicle was driving reckless "at least twice the legal speed limit."
A deputy attempted to make a traffic stop, but the vehicle took off.
“A short pursuit ensued, after which the deputy sheriff disengaged,” Howze said.
The driver continued fleeing and 8 minutes later at 2:48 a.m., Fink saw the Kia and observed the vehicle exceeding the speed limit. Fink was pursuing the car, when it made an abrupt turn, and began traveling the wrong way on the highway, Howze said.
That's when Fink also turned with the vehicle, but into the immediate path of a semi, which struck the left driver side of his patrol car. The semi driver died at the scene. Fink, who was rushed to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce, later died there.
Zachary Fink: ‘Just a nice guy’
No one answered the door Saturday at Fink’s home in Port St. Lucie, but neighbors remembered him fondly.
Denise Villalobos, 69, said she moved in in August 2022 and Fink and his fiancée moved in not long afterward.
“You could tell that he was just such a kind person. Very, very nice kind person,” Villalobos said. “I mean, genuinely, and when he said, ‘If you need anything, you can always knock on our door,’ I know he meant it.”
Villalobos said when they moved in they introduced themselves.
“Yesterday (Friday) when I heard what happened, it just broke my heart,” she said. “We need more people in the world like them.”
Another neighbor is Karen McCall, 71, who also remarked on Fink’s friendly personality.
“When he first moved in, he came around and shook everybody's hand and introduced himself,” McCall said.
She said Fink and his fiancée lived in the single-story home.
“At Christmas time, I saw them out when they were putting out the lights, and they were having such a wonderful time doing that,” McCall said.
She said they have a dog they loved.
“They were just really a friendly couple. .. he was just a nice guy,” McCall said.
Meanwhile, in a different part of Port St. Lucie, an FHP trooper and vehicle were parked in front of a home where Fink’s family lives. The trooper declined to speak about Fink, citing the ongoing investigation. He said Fink's father also declined comment.
Neighbors there either did not know the trooper or declined comment.
Fink's death comes four years after the slaying of Trooper Joseph Bullock, 42, who died after being shot Feb. 5, 2020, on I-95 in Martin County while helping a disabled motorist south of State Road 714.
Bullock’s alleged killer, Franklin Reed III of Palm Bay, was fatally shot by Riviera Beach police Officer Jemel Headings, who happened upon the scene, in an incident that shut down I-95 for several hours.
A portion of I-95 in Martin County and the Fort Pierce FHP station in St. Lucie County later were named in Bullock’s honor.
Community mourns: Law enforcement community honors Trooper Zachary Fink
What we know: Feb. 2 crash kills trooper, truck driver
Will Greenleeis a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X@OffTheBeatTweetor reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him atwill.greenlee@tcpalm.com.
