HAINES CITY, FL – A Haines City man and woman were arrested on Tuesday for their roles in a fatal single-vehicle
crash that occurred in the early morning hours of Aug. 8.
Wilmark Huerta Orozco, 43, is being charged with DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, reckless driving with serious injury and driving without a license. Maribel Orosco, 38, is charged with witness tampering and resisting arrest.
Orozco was driving a 2020 Toyota Corolla that was headed north on U.S. 27 before 3 a.m. on Aug. 8. The investigation determined he was traveling at a high rate of speed. As he attempted to exit onto East U.S. 17/92, he drove off the right side of the exit ramp, causing the vehicle to slide through the grass for about 100 feet before hitting a pine tree.
The impact from the tree caused the vehicle to split down the middle. The front half of the car came to rest on the north side of the road while the back half came to rest on the south side. Two passengers were located in the backseat, including 30-year-old Blanca Albarran, who was pronounced dead on the scene.
When officers arrived, Orosco was walking around the scene. Orozco was found face down about 50 feet away, having apparently walked there before passing out. Orosco told police that they had been at Rosie’s Sports Bar & Grill. Injuries to Orozco’s left shoulder indicated they had come from the driver’s side seatbelt. After initially claiming that she was driving, Orosco told police that Orozco was the driver.
Both were transported to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center and released. The other passenger was admitted to LRHMC with non-life threatening injuries.
Blood drawn from Orozco returned a blood-alcohol level of .187 – more than twice the legal limit. Through the
investigation, it was learned the Orosco contacted a bar employee, made threatening remarks and insisted that the employee tell police that Orosco was driving the night of the crash. The two were arrested on Tuesday. While being handcuffed, Orosco refused commands and continually tried to pull away before being taken into custody. Orozco is in the United States illegally.
“This is a sad case of complete disregard for the law and the life of others. We grieve the needless loss of a young woman, who had her whole life in front of her,” Chief Jim Elensky said. “I commend our Traffic Homicide Unit for their outstanding work conducting this thorough investigation. We say it all the time: if you’re going to drink, please do
not drive. There is more at risk than just a DUI charge. We unfortunately saw that firsthand in this case.”
