Bartow Man Caught 5 Months After Crash That Killed 1: Police

BARTOW, FL — A 23-year-old Bartow man has been arrested almost five months after he drove under the influence of drugs and alcohol and caused a fatal crash, authorities said. His speeding car collided with another one, which resulted in the death of a passenger in the car that his struck, Bartow Police said in a news release.

The driver, Dallas Droz, sped his 2007 Ford Taurus westbound on State Road 60 near Richland Road. Investigators say Droz swerved into the median and crashed into the passenger side of a 2013 Chevrolet Impala driven by Lakeland resident Gabriel Bourne.

Bourne was attempting to turn his car eastbound on State Road 60 when his passenger, Isabel Castro, a Polk City resident, suffered serious injuries from the crash. She was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, where she died the next day.

A Bartow Police Department report shows that Droz tested positive for cocaine, alcohol, cocaethylene and benzoylecgonine at the time of the accident. The responding officer said he saw a case of spilled beer in Droz's car.

Droz was arrested on charges of vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter at his residence on May 18. He was taken to the Polk County Jail.

Polk County Sheriff's Office has not released Droz's booking photo yet.