A Florida clergyman, Nicholas Betancourt, 33, is facing a slew of charges, including DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide, following a fatal car crash that occurred just six hours after his release from jail for a DUI arrest. The February 27 collision in Odessa resulted in the death of Dana Maria Rivera, 36, and left three of her children, aged 4, 6, and 15, seriously injured, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident occurred when Rivera was driving southbound on Gunn Highway near Dolce Vita Lane. Betancourt, who was behind the wheel of a Chrysler Pacifica minivan, reportedly veered from the northbound lane and collided with Rivera’s Lincoln Town car. Betancourt was arrested on Thursday, with officers at the scene noting signs of intoxication.
The responding officer, Deputy Garcia, reported that Betancourt appeared to be “on the nod” with droopy eyes and a nodding head. Dash camera footage corroborated this observation, showing the Pacifica drifting into the Town Car’s lane at the time of the crash.
The Airbag Control Module (ACM) for the Pacifica was analyzed, revealing that the vehicle was traveling at a speed of 58 mph, 13 mph over the speed limit, five seconds before the crash. The ACM data also indicated that the Pacifica was drifting from its lane by 8 to 10 degrees in the five seconds leading up to the crash, and Betancourt did not activate the brakes.
Surveillance footage from nearby businesses showed Betancourt driving on Gunn Highway just before the crash. He appeared slow to react to traffic accelerating from a green light, and his vehicle drifted off the right side of the road and into the grassy shoulder area.
Following the crash, Betancourt was taken to a local hospital with injuries. Blood and urine tests revealed the presence of cocaine, amphetamines, oxycodone, and benzodiazepines in his system. A search of his Pacifica yielded a box in a purple suitcase containing methamphetamine, possible Psilocybin mushrooms, cocaine, MDMA, Oxycodone, Xanax, Carisoprodol, and Narcan nasal spray. Drug paraphernalia, including three straws, two blades, and a broken piece of a glass pipe with methamphetamine residue, was also found.
Further investigation revealed that Betancourt had been arrested and charged with DUI by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office on February 27. He was released approximately six hours before the fatal crash in Hillsborough County. His license was automatically suspended due to his refusal to provide a urine sample.
HCSO Sheriff Chad Chronister expressed his condolences to the Rivera family, stating, “A mother lost her life, and her children will carry that emotional scar forever. This family’s life was shattered in an instant because of one man’s selfish and reckless decision.”
Rivera, a New Jersey native, was remembered by loved ones in an online obituary as kind, loving, generous, and hardworking. She held two jobs and was always busy taking her children to school and after-school programs, and maintaining a home for her family.
Betancourt, listed as a “minister” in Hillsborough booking records, is reportedly an associate pastor at a local Presbyterian church. He has enlisted the services of a public defender.