Left inset: Nicholas Betancourt (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office). Right inset: Dana Rivera (Loyless Funeral Home/Legacy.com). Background: The area of Gunn Highway near Dolce Vita Lane in Odessa, Fla., where Dana Rivera was killed (Google Maps).
A Florida minister allegedly killed a mother and seriously injured three of her children — ages 4, 6 and 15 — in a wrong-way car crash just six hours after he was released from jail for a DUI arrest, cops say.
Nicholas Betancourt, 33, is facing nearly a dozen charges, including DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide, for the Feb. 27 crash in Odessa that took the life of Dana Maria Rivera, 36, and left three of her children hospitalized, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. The mother-of-four was driving southbound on Gunn Highway near Dolce Vita Lane when Betancourt, who was driving a Chrysler Pacifica minivan, allegedly drifted over from the northbound lane and slammed into her Lincoln Town car.
Police say Betancourt, who was arrested on Thursday, was “on the nod” after the crash occurred, according to a motion filed by prosecutors for pretrial detention, with deputies who responded saying he appeared intoxicated.
“Deputy Garcia made contact with Defendant on scene and observed the defendant to be ‘on the nod’ with his head falling down and his eyes droopy,” the motion said. “Dash camera footage recovered shows the Pacifica operated by Defendant leaving its lane of travel and entering into the lane of travel for the Town Car at the time of the crash.”
The Airbag Control Module (ACM) for the Pacifica that Betancourt was driving was analyzed and police allegedly found that the vehicle was traveling at a speed of 58 mph — 13 mph over the 45 mph limit — five seconds prior to the crash and up until it occurred, per the motion. “According to the ACM, the Pacific was drifting from his lane to the left by 8 to 10 degrees throughout the 5 seconds of pre-crash data and Defendant never activated the brakes,” prosecutors alleged.
Video was obtained from surrounding businesses that allegedly shows Betancourt driving on Gunn Highway just prior to the crash, with him being “slow to react to traffic that was accelerating from a green light,” according to the detention motion.
“As the defendant crossed an intersection, it appeared the Pacifica drifted off the right side of the road and into the grassy shoulder area,” prosecutors said.
After the crash, Betancourt was transported to a local hospital with injuries. Blood and urine tests showed that he had cocaine, amphetamines, oxycodone and benzodiazepines in his system when he arrived. A search of his Pacifica turned up a “box within a purple suitcase” in the backseat of the vehicle, which contained methamphetamine, “possible” Psilocybin mushrooms, cocaine, MDMA, Oxycodone, Xanax, Carisoprodol and Narcan nasal spray. Drug paraphernalia was also found, including three straws, two blades and a broken piece of a glass pipe with methamphetamine residue on it.
“Through further investigation, it was found (Betancourt) had been arrested and charged by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office for Driving Under the Influence on Feb. 27,” prosecutors said in their motion Friday. “Pinellas County Deputy A. Extine conducted the investigation after a concerned citizen had reported a reckless driver. When deputies came into contact with the driver/defendant, they observed signs of drug impairment to include, not being able to keep his eyes open, unable to stand straight without almost falling over, along with several odd statements.”
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Betancourt was arrested by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office for an alleged DUI and his license was automatically suspended on account of him refusing to provide a urine sample. He was released approximately six hours before he allegedly killed Rivera in Hillsborough County while she was driving with her kids.
“A mother lost her life, and her children will carry that emotional scar forever,” said HCSO Sheriff Chad Chronister in a statement Friday. “This family’s life was shattered in an instant because of one man’s selfish and reckless decision,” Chronister said. “Nothing will ever bring their mother back or erase the trauma these children will carry for the rest of their lives, but we want them to know they are not alone. We will stand by them. We will do everything in our power to ensure this man is held accountable for the devastation he has caused. I hope this arrest brings Dana Rivera’s family some sense of peace and justice.”
Loved ones described the slain New Jersey native in an online obituary posted on Legacy.com by the Loyless Funeral Home, saying: “Dana was kind, loving, generous, and silly. She would laugh and cry with you, was most likely to stub her toe, and was a very hard worker. Dana held two jobs: Hospitality at Steinbrenner High School, and Publix deli. She was busy all of the time taking her kids to school, some after school programs, and kept up a home for her family.”
As first reported by the Tampa Bay Times, Hillsborough booking records list Betancourt as a “minister” and his employer as a local Presbyterian church that is not identified. Videos and posts on Facebook describe him as an “associate pastor.” He has enlisted the services of a public defender.
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