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Pedro Baires-Beltran, 36, pleaded guilty this week to drinking, then driving after using someone else to unlock an interlock device, leading to a fatal midday crash which also injured his 15-year-old nephew outside Marley Station Mall in Anne Arundel County last year, State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess' office announced.
Shortly before 1 p.m. on April 2, 2023, officers from the Anne Arundel County Police Department were called to the southbound lanes of Ritchie highway near Marley Station Road in Glen Burnie to investigate a reported crash.
According to witnesses, a Toyota Tundra, driven by Baires-Beltran, drove straight through a red light and struck a 2007 Chevy Equinox that was turning left on a steady green arrow into the mall.
The crash caused the Equinox to strike a 2013 BMW, which was also heading to the mall. A passenger in the Chevy, Brandon Estuardo Deleon, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the truck was taken to the hospital, as was Baires-Beltran's teen nephew, both of whom suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
While speaking with Baires-Beltran, officers said that they noted the smell of alcohol on his breath and body, and he was taken to Bayview Medical Center for a mandatory blood alcohol test. At the scene of the crash, police also found an unusual cable attached to the center console and an ignition interlock that had been disconnected.
It was later determined that an unusual cable attached to the center console and an ignition interlock that had been disconnected.
It was later determined that Baires-Beltran had prior convictions for DUI and was required to have an ignition interlock installed in his vehicle, which he managed to circumvent by having another person provide the breath sample to let him drink and drive.
Specifically, Baires-Beltran pleaded guilty to:
- Negligent manslaughter while operating a vehicle;
- Causing life-threatening injuries while under the influence while transporting a minor;
- Driving a motor vehicle while transporting a minor.
In addition to his prison time, a judge also ordered that Baires-Beltran serve five years of supervised probation when he is released.
"(Baires-Beltran), who had a prior conviction and two pending DUIs, ignored all of the court-ordered conditions and once again drove intoxicated in the middle of the afternoon," Leitess said.
"An innocent man lost his life because (he) used another person to start his vehicle by blowing into the court-ordered ignition interlock system. This sentence removes the defendant from our roads for many years."
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