DAVENPORT, Fla. – Polk County deputies say an unlawful immigrant faces a manslaughter cost after inflicting his co-worker’s demise at a building web site, then mendacity about what occurred.
The backstory:
The Polk County Sheriff’s Workplace says investigators responded Wednesday to experiences of an industrial accident on the Grand Pointe Residences, a brand new advanced off Founders Manner in Davenport.
Deputies say they discovered the physique of Jose Lopez close to the entrance finish of the loading bucket of a skid steer.
Investigators spoke with Lopez’s co-worker, Angel Martinez, who claimed that Lopez was “messing with the controls” whereas standing beneath the loading bucket, and hit a management that brought about his head to get caught between the skid steer’s body and the bucket.
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Martinez informed deputies he was standing a number of toes away from Lopez and by no means touched him, in response to PCSO, however investigators discovered no footprints within the space the place he claimed to be standing on the time.
Detectives say Martinez had Lopez’s blood on his pants, as properly, and there was additionally blood spatter within the cab of the skid steer aside from sure areas the place the operator would have been seated.
When questioned in regards to the blood, Martinez requested for an legal professional, in response to the sheriff’s workplace.
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One other co-worker additionally informed investigators that Martinez had been accountable for working the skid steer for a lot of the day, believing he was on the controls on the time of Lopez’s demise.
PCSO says deputies arrested Martinez based mostly on the bodily proof and witness statements.
Mugshot of Angel Martinez. Courtesy: Polk County Sheriff’s Workplace.
What’s subsequent:
Martinez faces a manslaughter cost, which PCSO says might be upgraded from a second-degree felony to a first-degree felony on account of his immigration standing.
He is within the Polk County Jail and is being held by ICE, in response to the sheriff’s workplace.
The Supply: This story was written with data from the Polk County Sheriff’s Workplace.
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