Driver Charged In Deadly Hit & Run Released From Jail
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The man charged with DUI manslaughter in a deadly hit and run accident which claimed the life 13-year old Kaely Camacho was released from a Miami-Dade jail on Wednesday.
Sandor Guillen posted bond late Tuesday evening but had to wait until the following morning to be released because he had to be fitted with an electronic monitoring device.
Tuesday morning, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Leon Firtel lowered Guillen's bond amount from $1 million to $205 thousand over the family's objections.
"This court must follow the law," said Firtel. "I know some people may not like it but it is my sworn duty to uphold the law. People are innocent until proven guilty. This is not a popularity contest based on the numbers of people that turn out in court. We must follow the law."
The previous bond of $1 million was one of the highest bonds ever in state history for DUI manslaughter, according to authorities. The current bond of $205,000 is also much higher than the average bond for DUI manslaughter.
By order of the judge, Guillen will not be able to drink or drive under his house arrest. Guillen and his parents, who are from Nicaragua, have also surrendered their passports.
"The bond was lowered for legal reasons and we have to respect the law," said Kaely's father Kirk Camacho.
"We are disappointed in the amount. However with all the restrictions, we can only hope that he stays around. And we are entitled to our day in court. We only hope we'll have our day in court," said Bruce Cease, Kaely's uncle on Tuesday.
Kaely Camacho was killed when Guillen's Land Rover T-boned her father's minivan at U.S.1 and SW 184th Street in Southwest Miami-Dade on Friday, April 13th. Police said Guillen was driving 100 mph on the Miami-Dade busway.
On CNN, Kirk Camacho talked about the accident.
"As we approached the crossroad, to my surprise I saw a flash and then an extremely loud, what sounded like an explosion. Thank God both my daughters were sleeping, so rest in peace Kaely. She didn't feel any pain and that's very comforting for us. Bree immediately woke up out of sleep screaming 'what happened, what happened'."
After Guillen hit the Camacho's minivan, police said his Land Rover hit a tree, spun five times and then stopped nearly 400 feet away from the original collision. Guillen then tried to run from the scene but he was caught a couple of blocks away, according to police.
A source close to the investigation told CBS4 News that in interviews with police, Guillen admitted to have been "drinking hard liquor" before the crash.
Kirk Camacho and Bree Ann, 16, were treated at Baptist Hospital and released the same morning.
Guillen has been charged with vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, leaving the scene of an accident causing serious bodily injury, and driving without a driver's license resulting in a death.
