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Dover Man Charged With DUI Manslaughter In Halloween Crash

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 14, 2007

Updated: 11/14/2007 06:36 pm

A Dover man has been arrested on a DUI manslaughter charge following a Halloween crash on McIntosh Road.

Victor Hernandez-Santiago, 21, was arrested about 2:40 p.m. Tuesday.

About midnight on Halloween, a 1999 Ford Mustang driven by Hernandez-Santiago was heading south on McIntosh when it exited the west side of the road and struck a utility pole, a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office release states.

The Mustang traveled through a strawberry field south of Highway 92 and rolled several times, ejecting him, one of his brothers and a teenager, according to the release. It wasn't initially clear who drove the Mustang.

One of the passengers, 17-year-old Samuel Trejo-Martinez, died Nov. 4 from his injuries. Trejo-Martinez's address is unknown, according to the release.

Hernandez-Santiago had a .284 blood alcohol level, nearly four times the legal limit. Under state law, a driver is presumed drunk at 0.08 percent.

In addition to the DUI manslaughter charge, Hernandez-Santiago was charged with four counts of driving under the influence causing serious bodily injury, one count of driving with no valid driver's license and two counts of driving under the influence causing property damage.

He is an illegal immigrant, and immigration has been contacted, according to the sheriff's office.

"Any time there is a death, they actually have up to 90 days to complete [a report] and get all of the investigative things finished," sheriff's office spokeswoman Debbie Carter said. "Investigators determined he was the driver and were able to conduct their investigation and get it finished."

Two of Hernandez-Santiago's brothers were seriously injured in the accident: Filiberto Hernandez-Santiago, 31, and Cipriano Hernandez-Santiago, 24. Cipriano Hernandez-Santiago is in fair condition at Tampa General Hospital, hospital spokeswoman Ellen Fiss said Wednesday night. Filiberto has been released.

Victor Hernandez-Santiago remains in Orient Road Jail with no bail set.

The crash caused about $2,500 damage to the strawberry field and $10,000 damage to the Mustang, Carter said.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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