PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Fatal crash case focus on prescription pills

BRADENTON — Prosecutors are looking to prove that a driver scheduled for trial next week on DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide charges was intoxicated at the time of a fatal accident.

But the case against Adam J. Betancourt does not involve alcohol, instead the Florida Highway Patrol charged him with being under the influence of prescription pills when on Dec. 3, 2008, troopers say he pulled in front of a motorcyclist on U.S. 41.

Betancourt, 45, is accused of making a left turn in his car in front of 19-year-old motorcyclist Nikolas Reek, riding south on U.S. 41 just south of Braden Avenue. The collision threw Reek from his motorcycle and he later died from his injuries.

FHP troopers found Betancourt and numerous pills in his car at the scene of the crash.

The medications included more than a hundred oxycodone, hydromorphone and Xanax pills. His speech was slurred and he could barely keep his eyes open, and he also admitted to taking a pill after the crash, claiming to be nervous, according to the FHP report.

As the use and abuse of prescription medicine has dramatically increased in recent years, DUI cases involving pills are becoming more prevalent, according to Sarasota defense attorney Darren Finebloom, who has no connection to Betancourt’s case.

“I think you are seeing more of them because everybody and their mother seems to be on medication these days,” Finebloom said. “I also think law enforcement is getting more training to look for impairment where alcohol may not be involved.”

Finebloom said proving intoxication by pills can be more difficult for prosecutors because many times people obtain the medicine legally, and testing of blood, and especially urine, can show the presence of drugs, but not always pinpoint when a substance was taken.

In Betancourt’s case, troopers had his blood taken and emergency personnel took Betancourt to Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, where interviews continued. He admitted to taking pain medication before and after the crash, telling troopers that he had a “pill crusher” to feel the effects of pills faster.

Investigation also revealed he did not have a valid driver’s license, and was wearing glasses missing a frame. He told troopers everything appeared “fuzzy” more than three feet away without his glasses. He also told troopers he suffered from a medical condition that rendered his right leg numb, so he operated both pedals on his car with his left foot.

“As I continued to talk with the defendant, I noticed that he was very impaired,” FHP Cpl. D.R. Brunner wrote.

In addition to DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide charges, Betancourt is also charged with driving with no valid driver’s license causing great bodily harm, and DUI property damage.

A trial is scheduled to begin Monday before Circuit Judge Gilbert Smith. If a trial does move forward, it is expected to take two to three days. Betancourt faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide.