INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A 70-year-old Vero Beach-area woman will face four years in state prison after she was recently found guilty of driving under the influence in a deadly 2021 crash. The woman – Irene Vatland Testa – failed to yield the right of way to another vehicle, leading to a crash that killed her passenger, according to investigators.
On Tuesday Oct. 14, Circuit Court Judge Robert Meadows found Testa guilty of DUI manslaughter and driving under the influence with damage to property and persons. Testa pled no contest to the charges.
Testa, of the 900 block of 45th Avenue, will serve four years in the Florida Department of Corrections, followed by 10 years of probation as part of a plea agreement, court records show. Testa was issued a lifetime revocation of her driver’s license and ordered to go to DUI school. Testa must also pay up to $2,000 in fines.
After the wreck, Testa’s blood samples came back with an alcohol level of .210, two times over the 0.08 legal driving limit, reports show…