ST. PETE BEACH — Authorities have arrested a Pinellas County man in connection with a fiery crash last month that killed two people.
Daniel Dalton Dolcater, 20, faces charges of DUI manslaughter, aggravated fleeing and eluding, and driving with a suspended license causing death.
Dolcater was speeding and impaired when he crashed into a car at about 8:45 p.m. Sept. 30 outside the Alden Beach Resort, 5900 Gulf Blvd., according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Killed in the crash were Pablo Mansilla-Aguinaga, 32, of Tampa, and Sandra Paulson, 33, of Schaumburg, Ill.
Deputies also are asking for the public’s help finding the driver of a maroon or purple minivan who may have been racing Dolcater prior to the crash.
Dolcater, who was driving an SUV, suffered serious head wounds and was taken to Bayfront Medical Center.
Deputies arrested him Tuesday after he was released from the hospital. Deputies said tests showed he had a blood alcohol level of 0.12 just after the crash. Florida law presumes impairment at 0.08. Dolcater also tested positive for marijuana, deputies said.
Detectives say that on the night of the crash, a St. Pete Beach police officer spotted Dolcater going 69 mph on the 35 mph road.
The officer, who was on a motorcycle, attempted a traffic stop.
Dolcater sped up, authorities said, and crashed into a 2006 Mazda 3 sedan pulling out of the hotel.
The car flipped. Dolcater was thrown from his GMC Yukon, which ended up upside down on a fountain in front of the Alden.
Source: St. Petersburg Times.
