102-Month Sentence for Impaired Man who Seriously Injured 2 Teens in Golf Cart

A 62-year-old man who was driving impaired when his truck turned into oncoming traffic at Bay Point
and hit a golf cart head-on, seriously injuring two teens, was sentenced to 8½ years in prison Thursday,
State Attorney Larry Basford announced.

Richard Stanley Barker, who hit the girls near his home on Wahoo Road Feb. 4, 2025, earlier pled no
contest to 2 counts of DUI With Seriously Bodily Injury. Each charge was punishable by up to 5 years in
prison. Barker’s prison term will be followed by 18 months of probation.

Barker was impaired and driving east in the westbound lane of Wahoo Road near his house when his
pickup truck hit a westbound golf cart carrying the two girls – 16 and 15 years old at the time. The golf
cart was destroyed, one victim had life-threatening injuries, and both victims suffered lifelong damage to
their bodies.

Prosecutor Ryan Phillips asked Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson to consider the deterrent function,
the severity of the injuries, and that Florida’s Criminal Justice System is designed to punish offenders.
The defense asked the court to consider the defendant’s age, his remorse and that he is recovering from
cancer.

“Everyone in this courtroom (the victims, the defendant, and their families) received a life sentence that
day,” said Stephenson, adding this was one of the most difficult cases he has handled. “Mr. Barker, you
will feel the impact of that decision today, if you haven’t already. This decision was not easy for this
court; it was not easy for anyone. But there is no way to erase the events of that night and there is a price
to pay for that.”

During the 2½ hour sentencing, emotional testimony came from both sides, including the two young
victims.

“I’m 17 now … and nothing will ever feel the same as it did before that night,” one victim testified at
Thursday’s sentencing. “I have not been able to enjoy my teenage years like most people; I’ve been
struggling to recover.”

Her injuries included two fractured legs, a broken pelvis, broken ribs and multiple injuries to her face. She
suffers nightmares, PTSD, and debilitating anxiety. She will never run again and is constant pain.

“These scars are permanent reminders of something I never chose and I’ll never forget,” she said. “No 15-
year-old should have to rebuild their life because of someone else’s choice. We have to live with the pain
he left us with because of his actions.”


The second victim, also 17 now, suffered fractures to both legs, a broken pelvis and a punctured lung.
“I should not have to be in this much pain as a 17-year-old,” she said. “All I can think about is what it felt
like to lay there in the street, like I was nothing. I’ve tried to talk about my trauma to help get through it
but some things never go away.”

Family members spoke as well.

“We were drug into hell and Richard Barker brought us there,” said the mother of one of the victims. “I
had never heard of him before that night. Now his name is forever attached to the worst day of our lives.”
Before the sentence was imposed, Barker apologized.

“I’m very sorry this happened, and the remorse I feel, no one in this courtroom knows,” Barker said. “I’m
sorry, it was a terrible accident. I’m so sorry.”

Basford thanked the Florida Highway Patrol for its investigation and reconstruction of the crash. He also
credited first responders who were able to stabilize the victims until they reached the hospital.