Global Courant 2023-04-26 14:16:37
A man who was illegally imprisoned in the United States after a fatal drunk driving accident died a few days later from internal injuries.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced Tuesday that his office is investigating the death of an inmate after Doroteo Martinez-Castro, a 43-year-old Haines City resident, died Monday at Advent Health Sebring Hospital.
Martinez-Castro was arrested after he hit a 2009 Toyota Prius head-on at the intersection of US 17/92 and Lee Jackson Highway North around 10:55 p.m. Saturday. He was taken to a hospital to be treated for an ankle injury before being placed in the Polk County Jail early Sunday morning and placed in the medical dormitory.
The crash resulted in the death of a 23-year-old unidentified Hispanic man from the Davenport area.
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Doroteo Martinez-Castro, a 43-year-old resident of Haines City, died in hospital after being jailed in connection with a fatal drunk driving accident. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
Martinez-Castro, who was deported to Mexico twice, was charged with DUI manslaughter and manslaughter while driving with a suspended/withdrawn license. He also received a ticket for driving on the wrong side of the road.
“He managed to take the life of himself and someone else,” Judd said at a news conference. “Had he been in Mexico where he should have been, he would have been alive and well, just like the person who was killed.”
The PCSO said Martinez-Castro admitted to a detective that he had had a few beers and Crown Royal whiskey shortly before the crash. Several cans of Modelo beer were also found in his car.
Blood was drawn during his first visit to the hospital and the samples were sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for additional testing. Judd said official toxicology reports are pending, but the office suspects he was intoxicated when he caused the fatal crash.
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Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd holds a photo of 43-year-old Doroteo Martinez-Castro of Haines City, an inmate who died nearly two days in the hospital after allegedly causing a fatal drunk driving accident. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook)
Judd said Martinez-Castro was returned to Mexico on two separate occasions following a 2019 arrest by the Haines City Police Department on traffic-related charges. His criminal history includes four previous arrests for traffic-related misconduct. He did not have a driver’s license and his learner’s permit was suspended in 2019.
During his time in the medical dormitory at the Polk County Jail, Martinez-Castro was monitored by medical staff and checked every 15 minutes by deputies, Judd said. When his tray was delivered at 10:40 a.m. Monday, a deputy sheriff noticed that he had become unresponsive in his wheelchair.
CPR was started until he was transported to hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:31 am. Judd said the results of an initial autopsy performed by the Polk County Medical Examiner showed Martinez-Castro died of internal injuries sustained in the crash.
“There was no fight, no scuffle in prison. He didn’t fall off a bed. He just died as a result of his injuries from this crash, at least according to the initial autopsy results,” Judd said, adding that the man told medical staff or deputies never talk about pain except his ankle.
A Google Earth image shows the Advent Health Sebring Hospital in Highlands County, Florida. (Google Earth)
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The Polk County Police Department said its standard policy is for four separate, independent investigations to take place. The PCSO conducts a death inquiry and administrative inquiry, while the coroner performs the autopsy to determine the manner and cause of death.
All findings are then forwarded to the Public Prosecution Service for investigation and review.
