Man charged with DUI in crash that killed teen
Blood test shows driver had bloodalcohol level of .233.
SOUTH BAY — A Lake Wortharea man had a blood-alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit when he crashed into a canal late Sunday, killing a teenage passenger, the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office said.
Antonio Sanchez, 44, faces DUI manslaughter charges, as well as a charge of driving without a valid license. Judge Caroline Shepherd ordered Sanchez, a citizen of Mexico who has lived in Palm Beach County for nearly three decades, held without the possibility of bond. He told Shepherd he has a Social Security number and has lived in the same home for 13 years.
“I find that he is a danger to a community,” Shepherd said. “This is at least his sixth time driving without a license, and this time it resulted in death.”
According to authorities, Sanchez was driving a 2016 Ford F-350 shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday east on Northwest First Street, heading toward Northwest First Avenue. Sanchez drove through an intersection without stopping, crashed into a metal guardrail separating a deadend street from a canal and went into the water. The pickup was submerged when authorities arrived.
Authorities noted there were neither tire nor brake tracks on the road.
Wilson A. Granajo, 19, was one of seven passengers riding in Sanchez’s pickup during the wreck, Sanchez told sheriff ’s authorities, according to an arrest report. However, sheriff ’s authorities located only Sanchez and Granajo, a sheriff ’s spokeswoman said.
The West Palm Beach teenager died at Lakeside Medical Center in Belle Glade from injuries sustained in the crash, the sheriff ’s office said. Records indicate he was not wearing a seat belt.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue divers went into the alligator-infested canal to rescue two people from the pickup. It is unclear who was pulled from the water, though authorities noted at least one person was on the canal bank when crews arrived.
Divers used ladders to climb into the water from the steep canal bank. Alligators came within 100 feet of the divers, fire rescue said.
Authorities took three people, including Granajo and Sanchez, to a hospital. It is unclear who the third person was.
Sanchez was wearing his seat belt at the time of the wreck, and he sustained only minor injuries. He appeared in court with a bandaged left hand.
Sheriff ’s authorities said he “displayed signs of impairment.” He told authorities he drank three beers earlier that day.
A blood test showed Sanchez had a blood-alcohol level of .233. The legal limit for intoxication is .08.
Sanchez previously was charged with driving without a valid license, a state attorney told Shepherd. He has a total of five prior driving citations, Shepherd said.