DADE CITY, FL — A Dade City convenience store owner has been arrested and charged after Florida Highway Patrol investigators said he sold alcohol to an 18-year-old who later died in a head-on crash in Sumter County.
Troopers say the teen, Zachary Shiloh Davis, died April 20, 2026, after his pickup crossed the center line on US Highway 301 north of County Road 656 and struck another vehicle head-on. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the other truck, a 28-year-old man from Webster, survived with non-life-threatening injuries. FHP says toxicology testing later showed Davis had a blood alcohol content of 0.510 g/100 mL, which investigators described as a lethal level.
Crash on US 301 left one driver dead and another injured
According to FHP, the collision happened at 8:46 p.m. on a stretch of US 301 in Sumter County. Investigators said Davis’s truck drifted across the center line before hitting the other vehicle head-on.
Emergency responders pronounced Davis dead at the scene. The other driver was taken from the crash with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
The deadly wreck became the starting point for a broader investigation into where Davis had been earlier that evening and how much alcohol he had consumed before getting behind the wheel.
Phone data placed the teenager inside Sam's Quick Mart for hours
Investigators said location data from Davis’s phone showed he spent nearly three hours inside Sam’s Quick Mart on the evening of the crash before leaving to drive.
The store is at 39010 SR-575 in Dade City. Troopers later said cellphone records confirmed store owner Sami Joseph Kasselyas was present during that same three-hour period while Davis was drinking inside.
Florida Highway Patrol also said Davis’s family and girlfriend told investigators the teen regularly bought alcohol from Kasselyas. That information became part of the case that led to the arrest.
Investigators cited repeated calls and beer price negotiations
Phone records showed 54 calls between Davis and Kasselyas over five months, along with text messages in which the two discussed prices for cases of beer, according to investigators.
FHP said those records suggested an ongoing relationship between the teenager and the store owner centered on alcohol sales. Troopers did not say in the arrest information whether every call related to beer, but they used the contacts as evidence in their investigation.
Authorities also inspected Sam’s Quick Mart and said they found suspected marijuana in hemp containers. The inspection added another detail to the overall case files reviewed by investigators.
Store owner charged with homicide by culpable negligence
Troopers arrested Kasselyas on Saturday, Sept. 12, and booked him into the Sumter County Jail on a charge of homicide by culpable negligence. FHP said the charge reflects the allegation that he provided alcohol in a way that led to fatal consequences.
As a licensed alcohol vendor, investigators said Kasselyas should have understood that serving an excessive amount of alcohol to an 18-year-old could cause severe harm or death. That assessment is part of the arrest reports prepared by responding troopers.
What the arrest records say about the broader investigation
Florida Highway Patrol said the case was built from arrest reports, investigation documents and inspection records prepared by troopers and the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco. Those records formed the basis for the charge filed against the store owner.
The criminal case now shifts to the courts, while the crash remains a reminder of how quickly impaired driving can turn fatal. FHP has identified the dead teen, the surviving driver and the store where investigators say the alcohol was bought and consumed.
Authorities have not said whether any additional charges are expected. For now, the arrest centers on the allegation that repeated alcohol sales to an underage customer helped set the stage for the deadly wreck.
