FLORIDA: Ricardo Galvan Ojeda charged with DUI by Florida Highway Patrol after he blew stop sign, slammed into a pickup and killed passenger in the truck

A man now facing serious felony charges is accused of driving under the influence Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, for crashing into a pickup truck, killing a female passenger, according to Florida Highway Patrol.

Police say that Ricardo Galvan Ojeda was driving his Chevrolet Silverado east on Emeralda Island Road around 8:30 p.m. when he ran a stop sign and slammed into a Toyota Tacoma that was traveling south on County Road 452, said FHP spokeswoman Lt. Kim Montes.

The driver of the Tacoma, 57-year-old William Hodges of Grand Island, was critically injured and taken to Central Florida Regional Hospital, Montes said. Police say that his wife, 54-year-old Denise Hodges, died at the scene.

Ojeda told a trooper at the crash site that he was headed to a friend’s house and that he drank two beers about three hours before the collision, according to the arrest report.

The trooper noted in the report that Ojeda “seemed very confused,” mumbled as he spoke and smelled faintly of alcohol.