Clearwater man charged in fatal Boynton Beach crash

BOYNTON BEACH - A Clearwater man is charged with three counts in a March crash on Interstate 95 in Boynton Beach that killed one man and seriously injured the driver and another man, according to jail records.

Abimael Dedho-Baltazar, now 22, was booked early Tuesday at the Palm Beach County Jail. He was expected to appear before a judge at a bail hearing either Wednesday or Thursday.

A Palm Beach County court docket showing the precise charges hadn't yet been posted as of Tuesday afternoon. But a report on Dedho-Baltazar's arrest Friday in Clearwater said it was for a warrant charging him with DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide and DUI with damage to property.

Javier Vargas Granadino, 19, also of Clearwater, died in the wreck near Boynton Beach Boulevard.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, Dedho-Baltazar had had a blood alcohol content of 0.12, above the 0.08 threshold for impairment, and also tested positive for drugs, although the report doesn't specify the type.

At about 5 a.m. March 24, Dedho-Baltazer's 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer, heading south in the outside center lane of I-95, was speeding when he came upon another vehicle and failed to slow in time.

He swerved to the right but went off the roadway. The car spun, struck an embankment, went airborne, overturned and hit a palm tree. Vargas Granadino and Virrey Perez Neria, 23, of Lake Worth were thrown. Neither was wearing a safety belt.

The crash report said said Dedho-Baltazar and Perez Neria suffered serious injuries and that Boynton Beach Fire-Rescue took them to Delray Medical Center.

It's not known why the two Clearwater men were visiting Palm Beach County or their relationship to each other or Neria.

A call to a telephone number listed for Dedho-Baltazar in a court record was not returned. The document lists his occupation as construction worker.

Court records show Clearwater police served the arrest warrant Friday on Dedho-Baltazer, without incident, at his home. He then was transferred to Palm Beach County.

Dedho-Baltazar has no previous court cases in Palm Beach County. Records from courts in Pinellas County, where Clearwater is located, show five traffic charges: running a red light, careless driving, failing to yield, driving without a valid license and driving without insurance.

EK@pbpost.com

@eliotkpbp

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