Frostproof man charged with DUI manslaughter 7 months after fiery crash killed his friend

A Frostproof man has been arrested and charged with DUI manslaughter seven months after a fiery, single-vehicle accident that killed his passenger.

Robert Castillo Jr., 46, of Frostproof was arrested Friday and charged with one felony count in a fatal accident that occurred July 2, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

"We found speed was a factor, failure to keep his vehicle under control and, ultimately, he killed his passenger," Sheriff Grady Judd said in a YouTube statement.

According to the Sheriff's Office, Castillo was driving a black 2005 Nissan 350Z south on U.S. 27 near George Street in Frostproof on about 2:30 p.m. when he lost control of the car and began to spin counter-clockwise while sliding. There were approximately 172 feet of marks on the inside lane of U.S. 27, according to a police affidavit.

The Nissan continued to slide across the highway's median for about 200 feet, then across the opposing northbound lanes. It then rolled down an embankment on the east side of the roadway. While the car was rolling, the passenger, 42-year-old Donnie Joe Lee of Frostproof, was ejected from the vehicle. The car came to a stop at the bottom of the embankment after rolling about 214 feet and landed on top of Lee, pinning him. The vehicle became engulfed in flames, killing Lee, the Sheriff's Office said.

Castillo had a broken pelvis, broken arm and broken shoulder as result of the accident, Judd said. He was taken to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center for treatment.

During investigation, deputies found and interviewed at least four witnesses to the accident. One witness, whose name was not released, told deputies he was driving south on U.S. 27 in the left lane when he came around a bend and saw smoke. The man stopped his vehicle, noticed a car was on fire and grabbed his fire extinguisher. The man said he attempted to put out the fire, but could not. He told deputies he saw a man lying on the ground near the burning car and dragged him away from the vehicle.

The witness told deputies when he aided the injured man, he said, "Man, I messed up. I have been drinking." The witness reported the man was asking where his friend, Joe, was while repeatedly stating he was going too fast and that he had drank too much, according to the affidavit.

A woman in the vehicle with that witness also told deputies that when Castillo was pulled away from the burning vehicle, he kept saying he was drunk and should not have been driving. She told deputies the man's speech was slurred, and it was the same individual who was later sent to the hospital, according to the affidavit.

A Polk deputy who went to check on Castillo at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center said he showed signs of impairment. Castillo consented to a voluntary blood draw, which was taken by a nurse and sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for analysis.

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The FDLE lab report found Castillo had a blood alcohol level of about 0.164 — about twice the state's legal limit of 0.08. Castillo also tested positive for cannabis use.

During the investigation, Polk deputies determined Castillo was driving between 90 to 111 mph using standard speed calculation formulas, according to an affidavit. The speed limit on U.S. 27 in the area of the crash is 60 mph.

Judd said the Sheriff's Department delayed arresting Castillo while he healed from his injuries and until the investigation was complete.

Castillo is being held in jail without bond, according to Polk County's Jail Inmate Lookup.

Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on X @SaraWalshFl.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Frostproof man charged with DUI manslaughter from July crash