West Boca man pleads guilty in woman’s 2013 crash death

A West Boca man pleaded guilty Thursday in a high-speed crash that killed a Hialeah woman four years ago.

Mark Douglas Schneider, 26, avoided a trial set for next week. He is set to receive a sentence of four years in prison plus four years of probation on a vehicular homicide charge in the Sept. 29, 2013 death of Carol Velasco, 52. Prosecutors dropped a DUI manslaughter count.

For the moment, Schneider has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

But if Schneider surrenders in court as promised on Jan. 8, without any new arrests or violations, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Cheryl Caracuzzo said she will impose the more favorable terms.

Either way, the sentence includes a suspension of Schneider’s driver’s license for five years.

Assistant State Attorney Danielle Sherriff requested a six-year prison sentence on top of four years of probation, while Assistant Public Defender Stephen Arbuzow asked for his client to be locked up for only four years.

Velasco’s family members were not present for the resolution of the case. But they agreed with the guilty plea because it assured Schneider would be convicted and sentenced to prison, Sherriff said.

According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, the crash happened about 11 p.m. Sept. 28, 2013, in the area of Palmetto Park and Toledo Roads.

Deputies said Schneider was driving westbound on Palmetto Park in his 2010 Hyundai Genesis, while Velasco and another driver were in the inside lane, and a third driver was in the middle lane, all stopped for a red light at Toledo.

Schneider was going between 91 mph and 99 mph, deputies said, and did not stop for the light.

After making a sudden lane change to avoid the driver in the middle lane he tried to go to the right, but struck the middle driver’s car, according to an arrest report.

Schneider’s car then went counterclockwise and plowed into the Hyundai Accent that Velasco was driving at an estimated 95 mph to 103 mph. The impact causing her car to strike a median and hit a tree, the report said. Velasco died the next day.

Schneider stayed at the scene of the crash, but deputies said in the arrest report it was “obvious” Schneider was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.