Driver Sentenced to 30 Years in Fatal Brooksville Distracted Driving Case

A Florida man found guilty of vehicular homicide in a texting-while-driving case was given the maximum sentence on Thursday, which led to new texting and driving laws in the state. Investigative reporter Katie Lagrone was present in the courtroom where Gregory Andriotis, 40, was formally sentenced. Andriotis will now spend 30 years in prison for a crash that resulted in the death of 9-year-old Logan Scherer, serious injuries to his parents, and his younger sister. This crash happened in 2016 on I-75 near Brooksville and was the first-ever texting and driving case to go to trial in Florida.

Before the sentencing, Andriotis spoke publicly for the first time since the 2016 crash and apologized to Brooke and Jordan Scherer, Logan’s parents, for causing the tragedy. He mentioned that he would swap places with Logan if he could and expressed the hope of bringing him back to life. “Logan deserved to live a full life. I took that away from him and I took him away from you,” Andriotis told the court.

The trial judge called Andriotis’ actions a conscious disregard of human life, noting that it was his choice not to pay attention. Investigators found that Andriotis was driving at around 80 miles per hour before the crash, which caused a force that pushed six cars about 76 feet. Although Andriotis’ courtroom apology gave the Scherer family some closure, it does not change what they have lost.

The Scherer family tragedy inspired Florida’s current texting and driving law. Just like drunk driving, families advocate for serious consequences for distracted driving. Jennifer Smith of stopdistractions.org was quoted saying, “Most of the families, the person walks away. Sometimes they even keep their driver’s license. We need serious consequences, just like drunk driving and distracted driving is killing families.”

While the jury’s guilty verdict and vehicular homicide charge represent the first-ever cell phone-related distracted driving crash case to go to trial in Florida, it is also considered nationwide a first by proliferating a legal precedent for deadly crashes caused by cell phone-related distracted drivers. Jordan Scherer said that they “cannot sit idly by and diminish the life of our young son…we won’t stand for it.” Thursday’s sentencing brought tears and peace for the Scherer family. Brooke Scherer stated, “I finally took a breath for the first time in seven years.”

For the Scherer family, this is the beginning of a new phase of a movement that they all hope Logan will be proud of. He will continue to guide the way for many others, Brooke said. Logan’s younger sister, Mallory, remarked that “I know that he will be proud to see that we worked hard, that it’s happened. I know he would be really happy.” The maximum 30-year sentence consists of a 15-year term for the death of Logan and five years for each of the three reckless driving charges that Andriotis faced for causing serious injuries to Logan’s family.

In the end, Andriotis’ case serves as a warning against the perils of distracted driving and a stark reminder of the real-world consequences it poses.