Spring Hill man faces DUI manslaughter, other charges in fatal Hudson crash

A Spring Hill man is facing a slew of charges, including DUI manslaughter, after causing a crash Monday on U.S. 19 in Pasco County that killed one person and seriously injured two others, troopers said.Gregorio Santoni Reyes, 68, was driving a Toyota Camry north on U.S. 19 near Little Road about 8:40 a.m. when he crashed into the back of a Mazda Protege, then sideswiped a Ford Bronco, according to a Florida Highway Patrol arrest report. The force of the crash pushed the Bronco across the grassy center median and into the southbound lanes, where it collided head-on with a Hyundai Tucson.The Hyundai driver, 41-year-old Jonathan Quiles of Spring Hill, died at HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital.The Bronco driver, a 22-year-old New Port Richey woman, and a passenger, a 24-year-old woman also from New Port Richey, were seriously injured.Reyes stopped after the crash and remained in his car as it sat in the northbound lane with hazard lights on, according to the report. About two minutes later, he drove away, heading north on U.S. 19, the report states.Shortly before 10 a.m., Hernando County sheriff’s deputies found Reyes parked at the Walgreens on Cortez Boulevard at Mariner Boulevard, about 14 miles north of the crash scene. Reyes was sitting in the driver’s seat, his feet hanging out of the driver’s door window. A photo released by the Highway Patrol showed heavy damage to the Camry’s driver’s side. Both side airbags had been deployed, and the rear tire was no longer on the rim. Troopers smelled alcohol on Reyes’ breath, and he had trouble standing up on his own and sitting up in a gurney, according to the report. Shown the damage to his car, he “appeared surprised, as though he was unaware that a crash occurred,” the report states. He gave a thumbs up when a trooper read him his rights, then declined to provide a statement and asked for an attorney.At the hospital, Reyes had to be sedated and handcuffed to his bed after he became “combative” and told a trooper that he would “kill you right now if I could,” the report states. His blood alcohol level was 0.177%, more than twice the 0.08% at which a driver is presumed impaired in Florida, according to the report.Along with DUI manslaughter, Reyes faces charges including leaving the scene of a crash involving death, serious injury and property damage; DUI resulting in serious injury and property damage; threatening a law enforcement officer; and obstructing an officer without violence.He was booked into the Pasco County Detention Center. Bond information was not available Tuesday.