A 27-year-old Bradenton man was sentenced to 25 years in prison in connection to a fatal DUI crash on Cortez Road that killed a woman in 2024, according to court records.
Cesar Navarrete was speeding more than 100 mph westbound on Cortez Road in his Nissan Altima when he ran a red light and slammed into the passenger side of a Chevrolet Equinox in November 2024, according to previous Herald-Tribune reporting.
Bradenton police investigators suspected Navarrete was impaired at the time of the crash and completed a DUI investigation.
Navarrete pleaded no contest on April 16 to four charges including driving with a suspended license, driving while under the influence – manslaughter, vehicular homicide and driving while under the influence involving property damage and/or personal injury.
Court records indicate he was sentenced to five years in prison for driving while under the influence – manslaughter, 15 years for vehicular homicide to run consecutively with the first count, and an additional five years for driving with a suspended license to run consecutively with the first two counts.
Navarrete will also serve nine years of probation and one year of community control following his time in prison, court records show.
The judge also sentenced Navarrete to complete 120 public service work hours in a hospital emergency department that receives motor vehicle accident patients while on probation.
Navarrete cannot consume any illegal drugs or alcohol and will be subject to random urinalysis – and he must complete a DUI school and victim impact panel while on probation. Additionally, his driver’s license is suspended for life and his car will be impounded for 90 days while on probation.
What happened the night of Nov. 2, 2024?
Bradenton police were called at around 10:40 p.m. following a traffic crash at the intersection of 43rd St. W. and Cortez Road West, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When they arrived, witness statements noted that Navarrete was driving in excess of the posted speed limit of 45 mph when the crash occurred.
A witness told police that Navarrete ran a red light and crashed into the Equinox. Navarrete’s car traveled 150 feet west before coming to a final rest, according to the affidavit.
The Equinox, according to the affidavit, was severed in half from the impact with the front portion sitting in the intersection while the rear was in the CVS parking lot near the front doors.
The Equinox passenger, 37-year-old Sara Holmes, was transported to a nearby trauma center, but died from her injuries, according to previous reporting. The Equinox driver, Navarrete and Navarrete’s passenger all sustained injuries.
Investigators wrote that there was no sign that Navarrete made any effort to slow, stop or divert prior to the crash, and based on their training and experience, the “level of catastrophic destruction indicates a speed at impact in excess of 100 MPH.”
“Medical staff at HCA Florida Blake Hospital informed me that the defendant was over the legal limit of alcohol,” the affidavit states.
When investigators obtained Navarrete’s medical records via a search warrant, the records showed a blood alcohol level of .289 g/dl, according to the affidavit.
Gabriela Szymanowska covers the criminal justice, courts and legal system for the Herald-Tribune. Reach out with a news tip to gszymanowska@gannett.com. Support local journalism by subscribing
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Bradenton man sentenced in fatal DUI crash that killed a woman
Reporting by Gabriela Szymanowska, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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