A St. Petersburg garbage truck driver is facing a felony charge after police say he struck and killed a woman in a downtown alley Saturday morning, then continued along his route without stopping to call for help.
In a report for WFLA News Channel 8, Eden Hodges said the driver, 51-year-old Nathan Brown, was on duty for the city when the fatal incident happened in an alley along 3rd Street North in downtown St. Petersburg. Police said Brown was collecting trash when he backed into the alley, struck the victim, drove forward, struck her again, and then left the scene.
The woman was identified as 49-year-old Candice Roberts. According to Hodges’ report, police believe Roberts was experiencing homelessness, and investigators were still working to notify her family.
Police Say The Driver Was Warned Before Entering The Alley
Hodges reported that police said Brown had been warned that people were in the back of the alley before he continued his pickup.
St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway said a delivery truck driver told Brown to be careful because people were back there.
“A delivery truck driver that said, ‘Hey, be careful, there’s some people back there,’” Holloway said, according to Hodges’ report.
Police said Brown then backed into the alley to empty garbage containers located farther back. Holloway said that when Brown backed up, he struck Roberts, and when he moved forward, he struck her again.
“When he backed up, he struck the victim, and when he went forward, he struck the victim again, and then he just went forward and went on with his route,” Holloway said.
That sequence is what makes the case so disturbing. A work route can be routine, and drivers may repeat the same stops day after day, but police say this driver had been specifically warned that people were in the area. In a narrow alley where visibility can already be limited, that warning should have made the pickup slower, more careful, and more deliberate.
Brown Was Later Arrested Along His Route
According to Hodges, police said Brown admitted to seeing the woman on his way out of the alley.
St. Petersburg police later caught up with him while he was still on his route. He was arrested on a felony charge of leaving the scene of a crash involving a death.
Hodges reported that Brown had worked for the city for a long time and did not have a criminal history. He has since bonded out of jail, while the investigation remains ongoing.
The charge is serious because Florida law treats leaving the scene of a deadly crash as a major offense, especially when the person involved does not remain to help, call emergency services, or cooperate immediately. In this case, police say the victim was left behind in the alley while the driver continued working.
The legal process will determine what prosecutors can prove, and Brown is entitled to that process. But the allegations described by police are severe, not only because a woman died, but because authorities say the driver knew enough afterward to realize something had happened.
A Witness Described A Horrific Scene
Hodges spoke with John Burke, who said he knew Roberts and was sleeping next to her when the incident happened.
“It was horrendous,” Burke said.
He told WFLA that he had never seen anything like it in his life and described the scene as overwhelming. His words carried the weight of someone who was not speaking in legal terms or city policy language, but from the shock of seeing a person he knew killed in front of him.
Burke said it had been a while since people in the area had seen Roberts, and that she had told them she had recently come back from recovery.
“Candy, as we called her, was very kind,” Burke said. “She was very, very patient, very, very kind in every instance of her nature.”
That part of Hodges’ report matters because Roberts could otherwise become just another line in a police summary: a 49-year-old woman, believed to be experiencing homelessness, killed in an alley. Burke’s description gives her back some of the humanity that stories like this too often lose.
She was known. She had a nickname. Someone remembered her as patient and kind.
The Alley Had Become A Place Where People Slept
Hodges reported that police believe Roberts was experiencing homelessness, and a local business owner told WFLA off camera that the area had become a popular place for people to camp overnight.
That detail helps explain why someone warned Brown before he entered the alley. It also points to a broader issue many cities face, where alleys, sidewalks, storefronts, parks, and other public spaces become temporary sleeping areas for people who have nowhere safer to go.
This does not make an industrial or service area a safe place to sleep. It also does not remove the duty of drivers operating large city vehicles to be careful when they are told people may be nearby.
Garbage trucks are heavy, loud, and difficult to maneuver in tight spaces. They often operate early, in alleys, near dumpsters, and around blind spots. When those spaces also become sleeping areas, the danger rises for everyone, but especially for people on the ground who may not wake up or move in time.
A Fatal Crash During A Routine City Job
The case is especially unsettling because it happened during an ordinary city service that residents see every week.
A garbage truck route is not supposed to become a fatal scene. But Hodges’ report shows how a routine pickup in a crowded urban area can become deadly when a large vehicle moves through a space where people are sleeping or sheltering.
Police say Brown was warned, completed the pickup anyway, struck Roberts twice, and left.
That alleged decision to continue the route is now at the center of the criminal case. Investigators will have to examine what Brown saw, what he understood, what the warning meant, how the truck moved, and what happened after the impact.
For the public, the case raises a painful question about city operations in areas where homelessness is visible and known. If workers, businesses, and police all understand that people sleep in certain alleys, then safety procedures cannot treat those areas as empty by default.
Investigation Still Ongoing
Hodges reported that St. Petersburg police are continuing to investigate.
At the time of the report, Roberts’ family had not yet been fully notified, and Brown had bonded out after his arrest. The charge he faces is leaving the scene of a crash involving a death.
The facts presented by police are still allegations, and the court process will determine what happens next. But for those who knew Roberts, the loss is already real.
Burke’s description of her as “very kind” and “very patient” stands in sharp contrast to the harshness of how she died. She was in an alley, along a trash route, in a place where others also slept, when police say a city garbage truck ran over her and kept going.
Hodges’ report leaves the community with a difficult picture: a woman who may have been living without stable shelter, a driver accused of ignoring a warning and leaving the scene, and a city now forced to answer how something so routine became fatal.
The investigation may take time, but the basic tragedy is already clear. Candice Roberts was killed in a place where people had been known to sleep, and the person accused of hitting her was supposed to be there to collect trash, not leave behind a scene that witnesses would describe as horrendous.
Gary’s love for adventure and preparedness stems from his background as a former Army medic. Having served in remote locations around the world, he knows the importance of being ready for any situation, whether in the wilderness or urban environments. Gary’s practical medical expertise blends with his passion for outdoor survival, making him an expert in both emergency medical care and rugged, off-the-grid living. He writes to equip readers with the skills needed to stay safe and resilient in any scenario.
