Yolexy Cuellar Perez of Palm Springs, Florida was arrested on July 22 after he allegedly struck and killed George Dietel of Palm Springs while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Perez, 36, is charged with DUI manslaughter. He is being held at Palm Beach County Jail on $150,000 bond and will be placed on house arrest if he is released. The press did not name an attorney for him.
According to the arrest report, the alleged incident occurred after 11 p.m. on July 21. Cuellar Perez was reportedly driving his 2012 Dodge truck when he struck Dietel, 66, on Forest Hill Blvd west of Congress Ave. Dietel was crossing the road in an area without a crosswalk. He suffered severe head injuries and died an hour after the crash, the report said.
Police who arrived at the scene claim Cuellar Perez appeared to be drunk. He seemed nervous, his speech was slurred and he was deliberately “trying to walk normal,” according to the report. One officer reported that Cuellar Perez’s breath smelled of alcohol even though he was chewing gum. The officer said DUI drivers sometimes use gum to mask the smell of alcohol.
Cuellar Perez told the officers that he had not drank alcohol and twice refused to take a blood alcohol test. The latter baffled Judge Ted Booras during Cuellar Perez’s bond hearing on July 23 because police can forcibly take blood in a DUI manslaughter case.
Another DUI arrest was reported in Pompano Beach on July 2. Stephen Burns was arrested on that date for his involvement in a DUI car crash that caused the death of Terance Martees Young of Hollywood.
Burns, 24, was charged with vehicular homicide, DUI causing death, and DUI. He is being held on $120,000 bond. It is unclear if he has acquired the services of an attorney.
According to the police report, the alleged DUI incident occurred at around 4 a.m. on April 3, 2016, in Pompano Beach. Burns was going 90 mph when he collided into Young’s car at an intersection near North Federal Highway. Young suffered severe injuries in the crash and died a year later. The cause of death was complications from blunt head trauma.
Burns’ blood alcohol level at the time of the crash was .20, which is over two times the legal limit of .08. He told police that he was looking for a gas station and thought he was driving 40 miles south of the crash site.
He had reportedly been drinking earlier that night. He split a $78 tab with some friends at a bar in North Miami, according to the Sun Sentinel. They then allegedly went to another bar where they remained until 4 a.m.
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Source: 7.23.18 Man faces DUI manslaughter charge after fatal crash in Palm Springs.pdf