Florida Woman Sentenced to 15 Years for Hit-and-Run That Killed Scooter Rider
PENSACOLA, FL – A Florida woman has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading no contest in a fatal hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of a man riding a scooter. The victim, 34-year-old Calvin Anthony Garlick, suffered an internal decapitation and died at the scene.
Sarah Rachel Nowlin, 40, was sentenced this week by a judge in Escambia County after admitting guilt in the January 26, 2024, crash. Nowlin pleaded no contest to leaving the scene of a crash involving death, a felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Under her sentence, she must serve at least four years before becoming eligible for parole, according to the First Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office.
Garlick was heading home from work around 10 p.m. when Nowlin, driving a 2008 Toyota Prius, struck him on West Nine 1/2 Mile Road near Omar Avenue. The impact caused catastrophic injuries. A neighbor discovered Garlick unconscious and unresponsive in a ditch moments later. Emergency responders declared him dead at the scene.
Evidence left behind at the crash site, including broken car parts, led investigators to believe the suspect vehicle was a white Prius. Surveillance video showed the car speeding past a nearby home around the time of the crash. The next day, a tip from a property owner about a suspicious damaged vehicle hidden in the woods broke the case wide open.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers located the Prius tucked behind trees and bushes with front-end damage consistent with the crash. An empty wine bottle was also found beside the car.
When authorities questioned the car’s owner, he revealed that Nowlin had borrowed the vehicle that night to pick up her daughter. She never returned and later texted him, cryptically saying “something bad happened.”
An adult male passenger in the Prius at the time of the crash confirmed to police that Nowlin was behind the wheel. He initially believed they hit a deer after Nowlin told him so. Only after learning about the fatal collision did he realize the truth. His account, along with the physical evidence, led to Nowlin’s arrest.
Prosecutor Charles Britt said Nowlin’s actions after the crash revealed a deliberate effort to avoid responsibility. “This defendant knew what she was doing was wrong,” he stated. “She lied to everyone—including her 8-year-old child who was in the car—and tried to hide the vehicle to cover up the crime.”
The case drew widespread attention not just because of the fatal outcome, but also due to Nowlin’s attempts to mislead investigators and distance herself from the crash. Her calculated efforts to evade accountability ultimately failed when investigators pieced together her movements.
Garlick’s death left a deep void in his family and community. Born and raised in Michigan, he worked a variety of hospitality jobs in Ludington, Grand Rapids, and most recently Pensacola. “Calvin was a happy-go-lucky man,” his obituary read. “He was a very hard worker with a bright spirit.”
In court, Nowlin showed little emotion as the sentence was read. Her defense did not contest the state’s argument for a lengthy prison term, acknowledging the severity of the consequences of her actions.
With her conviction, Nowlin joins a growing list of Florida drivers sentenced to long prison terms for fatal hit-and-run crashes—a crime prosecutors say continues to rise across the state.
Authorities urge all drivers to remember that leaving the scene of an accident is not only illegal—it often turns a tragic mistake into a life-altering felony.
