Woman wrongfully arrested in deadly I-4 crash speaks out after charges dropped
By Pattrik Perez, Brandon Hogan
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VOLUSIA COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — A 23-year-old woman who spent 13 days in jail after being wrongfully arrested in connection with a deadly crash on Interstate 4 is speaking out about her ordeal as newly obtained court documents describe the investigation leading to who prosecutors now say was responsible.
Lindsey Isaacs was arrested in April after the Florida Highway Patrol accused her of being behind the wheel of a Dodge Durango that caused a crash on I-4 near mile marker 108 in Volusia County on Oct. 4, 2025. The crash killed three people: motorcyclist Joaquin Deno, Flagler County Deputy Administrator Jorge Salinas, and his wife, Nancy Salinas.
Isaacs faced eight charges, including three counts of leaving the scene of a crash with death, vehicular homicide, and reckless driving causing serious injury, according to the arrest report.
On Friday, more than a month after her arrest, the state attorney’s office in Volusia County dropped all charges against her.
“Being incarcerated, falsely incarcerated, in jail, in G Block, was the worst 13 days in my life,” Isaacs said Saturday at the Volusia County Courthouse.
Her attorney, Patrick McGeehan, said his team used time-distance analysis to prove Isaacs could not have been at the crash scene when the collision occurred.
According to the arrest report, troopers cited a Flock license-plate reader camera that captured Isaacs’ tag traveling eastbound on I-4 at the Seminole/Volusia County line at 9:51 p.m., approximately 3 miles west of the crash scene. The crash occurred at about 9:53 p.m.
“In our investigation, we took that distance, the speed of travel, and we were able to determine that Ms. Isaacs was well past the accident scene when the accident occurred,” McGeehan said.
Troopers also claimed in the arrest report that they “observed what appears to be ‘smudge or rub marks’ in the area(s) where the fresh damage was located on the Durango, appearing that it was attempted to be cleaned or wiped away.” They also stated, “The height of these observed smudges or rub marks are also consistent with the Durango sideswiping a motorcycle.”
But McGeehan said photos of the vehicle in storage disproved those claims.
“This is a 2025 Dodge Durango that is black, and it is absolutely immaculate as it was the day she drove it off the showroom floor. There was absolutely no damage to Lindsay Isaacs’ vehicle,” McGeehan said. “As soon as we did the vehicle inspection in this case, we knew she was innocent. It was just a matter of convincing the state attorney.”
When asked about FHP’s handling of the investigation, McGeehan did not mince words.
“It’s something we’ve seen before. This is probably the worst example I’ve seen,” he said.
Isaacs said she is seeking therapy after the experience and hopes time will heal the pain she suffered.
“I feel there’s really no way of fixing what they did to me. It will always hurt me. My reputation was ruined. I’m still receiving death threats and hate. It’s very hard,” Isaacs said.
FHP told WESH 2 News the investigation is ongoing and that, based on new evidence, another woman has been arrested in connection with the crash.
Alisa Lee Montalvo, 47, of Deltona, was arrested Friday on nine charges, including three counts of vehicular homicide, three counts of leaving the scene of a crash with death, leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury, reckless driving, and tampering with evidence.
New court documents obtained Saturday by WESH 2 News allege Montalvo was driving a maroon 2021 Dodge Durango that was mistaken for Isaacs’ black vehicle of the same make and model.
Montalvo’s arrest affidavit states Assistant State Attorney Mike Willard contacted FHP ten days after Isaacs was jailed to request crash reconstruction and investigative support, having found discrepancies in the investigation up to that point.
It was learned that a witness who called the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office the night of the crash had reported the suspect vehicle was maroon and provided the first three digits of a license-plate number that was later found to be consistent with Montalvo’s Durango, which was seen in March on community video surveillance to have different shades of red on its driver-side doors than what could be observed in other such images captured before the crash, according to Montalvo’s arrest affidavit.
It was further confirmed that, after the crash, Montalvo had her driver-side doors replaced and filed no insurance claim, as well as that red or maroon paint was found on the damaged areas of the Ford Focus that Isaacs was initially accused of striking with her black Durango, the affidavit states.
“The area of this crash is in a very dark location with no streetlights or ambient lighting in the area. A maroon vehicle can appear to be black in a setting such as this during a high stressful event for an untrained observer. (…) All this evidence supports a maroon Durango and not a black Durango,” the affidavit states. “We have probable cause to believe that the driving actions of Montalvo in a reckless manner caused and contributed to this fatal crash. This facts also support that Montalvo left the scene and did not report the crash to the authorities. By contacting (a mechanic) to repair the damage to her vehicle clearly shows Montalvo not only knew the crash (happened) but tried to conceal and destroy evidence of her crimes.”
Isaacs’ attorney said they are pursuing all legal avenues regarding her wrongful arrest. Isaacs still faces a civil case filed by the families of the victims, but McGeehan expects that will be dropped now that her criminal charges have been dismissed.
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