A Stuart woman, Christine L. Hebert, has been sentenced to roughly 14 years in state prison for killing a Port St. Lucie man in 2022 by crashing into his motorcycle from behind. In addition to her prison sentence, Hebert, from the 5000 block of Southeast Inez Avenue, was ordered to serve a year of probation and had her driver’s license permanently revoked after being convicted of DUI manslaughter and DUI with damage to property or person.
Hebert changed her plea to no contest on January 12, only a few days before her trial was set to commence. She was arrested earlier, on January 5, 2022, when she collided her 2004 Toyota Tacoma into 74-year-old Robert Pitts who was riding his red Harley Davidson motorcycle on Southeast Federal Highway. As Hebert drove along the southbound lanes of the highway, she collided with Pitt’s motorcycle from behind resulting in his death.
Pitt’s 38-year-old son, riding a black motorbike ahead of his father, survived the incident with minor injuries. According to the arrest report, following the collision with Pitt’s motorbike, Hebert was accused of dragging the red motorbike and hitting the black motorcycle before finally pulling over. Bystander eyewitnesses reported her driving behavior as “erratic” before the accident.
Post-arrest documentation revealed that Hebert admitted to consuming alcohol and medication meant for opiate or opioid recovery before the accident, which could explain her “slow and lethargic” behavior and the smell of alcohol when she spoke, noticed by the investigators at the scene. Hebert, however, now faces an additional wrongful death lawsuit filed against her by Pitt’s family in the aftermath of the fatal accident.
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