A youth pastor has been arrested for his involvement in a deadly car crash. One that claimed the life of his young daughter. Just months after losing his wife.
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In January, Youth Pastor Joel Leiniz (38) was clocked at 104 miles per hour in a 40-mile-per-hour zone. Nearly three times the speed limit. According to the New York Post, he tragically slammed into a concrete pole while speeding. The vehicle, A 2017 Audi Q7, was engulfed in flames in the aftermath of the catastrophe. And to make matters even worse, his three daughters were in the car with him at the time of the accident.
Youth Pastor Was Drunk During Time of Driving Incident
The accident claimed the life of his 8-year-old daughter, Zoe. Leiniz and his other two daughters, Esperanza and Zoe, were also hospitalized with injuries.
According to the affidavit obtained by the New York Post, Leiniz told officers he and his children were headed to a Mexican restaurant after a church concert. He says the incident occurred because he had to swerve to avoid an oncoming car. He stated that he wouldn't have been driving over the speed limit because his daughters were in the car. But the internal records told a different story. He was clocked going nearly three times the speed limit.
To make matters even worse, the Pastor was apparently inebriated at the time of the crash. The blood test taken at the hospital showed that Leiniz tested positive and had a 0.083 blood-alcohol concentration level. This is over Florida's 0.08 legal limit. Court documents suggested that the levels were likely higher at the time of the crash.
Leiniz made his initial appearance in court last Monday (July 20). During his court appearance, Leiniz's attorney, Anthony Genova, revealed that not only is the pastor a grieving father, but he is also a grieving widow. His wife passed away from cancer less than a year before the deadly crash. His attorney also noted that being the sole caretaker for his three daughters "depleted his savings."
Leiniz told the judge that he did not lose his job because of the incident. But he did choose to resign so that he could spend more time with his children.
His bond is currently set at $150,000
