A Florida man has been charged with DUI manslaughter after he drove along a dead-end street in a gated community and struck a 2-year-old boy on a tricycle, killing him.
Joshua Montero, 19, denied being drunk but failed field sobriety tests and was taken to jail. His victim was rushed to Advent Health Waterman in Taveres, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Tavares Police Department.
The Tavares Police Department said a breathalyzer test “solidified” officers’ suspicions that Montero was drunk.
Witnesses told officers that Montero was speeding when he hit the boy.
“The street that this took place on was a short, dead-end street where families felt safe for their children to be able to play under their supervision,” police said.
According to WESH, the toddler, identified as Asher Lepping, was riding his tricycle on a cul de sac in the Oak Bend subdivision shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday. An arrest report says that the boy’s parents said they were in the driveway of their home while the children were riding bikes.
“They observed the truck turn onto their dead end street, which is a very short street, and begin to speed up where they all started to yell to slow down,” Det. Courtney Sullivan said. “At that point, that is when the truck struck this innocent child.”
Police said Montero’s breath smelled of alcohol and his eyes were red and glassy. He was wearing only a bathing suit at the time of the crash. The breathalyzer test, taken after he was brought to jail, was over the legal limit for a someone under 21. Police said they believe his BAC was even higher at the time of the crash since several hours had elapsed before the breathalizer was administered.
