Drunk Driver Sentenced to 30 Years on Three Counts of DUI Manslaughter
Hermes Suarez has been as sentenced to three counts of DUI manslaughter for a crime committed three years ago. 34 year old Suarez was ordered by a Broward County Court judge to serve 30 years in a Florida federal state prison for plowing his car into three people back in January of 2012.
He will now serve three simultaneous 30-year prison times for each of the three lives he took on that fateful day. According to police reports, Suarez admitted he had drunk a quarter bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey while toxicology reports indicated a blood alcohol level above .15, which is almost twice the legal limit. This resulted in the enhancement of DUI manslaughter counts from three to six.
An unfortunate accident
The accident that took place on Jan. 21st, 2012 resulted in the death of Megan Kea of Sunrise, Cheresa Nave of Fort Lauderdale and Andrew Edmond of Plantation. As per court documents and Plantation police reports, two women who had crashed their car into a tree near 6900 block of West Broward Boulevard in Plantation were assessing the damage to their car along with Andrew Edmond who stopped to help them.
Suarez, who was drunk behind the wheel, reportedly struck all three, killing them. Kea was killed at the scene of the crime while the two women, Nave and Edmond, succumbed to their injuries at Broward General Medical Center.
Events leading up to the sentence
Kea was only 21 when her life was taken by an irresponsible motorist. Back in August 2014 her family alleged that they had come under pressure from Suarez’s DUI attorney to strike a plea deal. However, they refused, and preferred to seek justice and hope for the maximum time for Suarez, which has finally come although nothing could compensate the loss of their daughter.
Your word means very little Suarez at this point. This was not a liberal judge here but one who cares about innocent life being taken by selfish people.
Johnnie Johnson, grandfather of Cheryl Johnson had wished the same. Despite their loss, the Johnson family found the courage to forgive Suarez. Cheryl’s mother, Panky Johnson said she just wanted justice for her daughter.
During his sentencing, Suarez expressed remorse and addressed the families of the victims. He said he was deeply sorry for all the pain and suffering he caused and admitted that not a day went by without him thinking of the three lives he took. According to DUI attorneys, Suarez’s prison sentence is what was expected according to Florida’s DUI law, especially when he was charged on three counts of DUI manslaughter which was enhanced to six counts due to blood tests indicating twice the legal limit.
DUI suspect drives away leaving Florida police officer injured at traffic stop
In other DUI related news, was severely injured in Gulf Breeze, FL, after what seemed a normal traffic stop. Sergeant Kerstan Tatro was left with a compound fracture after he pulled over a woman in a Lexus SC 430 who appeared to be driving erratically.
The driver chose to speed away after Tatro asked her to perform a field sobriety test. He was trapped when he attempted to grab for the keys, which resulted in the injuries. Fortunately, the entire incident was captured by the cruiser’s dashcam. A witness to the incident followed the woman to a hotel parking lot and informed the police. She was found in possession of drugs.
