Local Man Gets 25 Years for Deadly 115 MPH DUI Crash

Cesar Navarrete was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for a 2024 DUI crash on Cortez Road that left a woman dead.  Navarrete was convicted of Vehicular Homicide, Manslaughter 2, Driving Under the Influence, and Driving While License Suspended Causing Death.

In November of 2024, the Bradenton Police Department responded to a high-speed two-vehicle crash at the intersection of 43rd Street West and Cortez Road West. The defendant's car was traveling westbound on Cortez Road. The victim, Ms. Sara Holmes, was the front passenger of the car that was traveling east on Cortez Road and was attempting to make a left turn when the defendant crashed into the victim’s side of the car.

A crash analysis indicated that the defendant was traveling at 115 MPH at the time of the crash. The posted speed limit is 45 MPH. There was no evidence to indicate that there was any effort on the part of the defendant to brake or avoid the crash from occurring. The defendant’s blood alcohol level was over double the legal limit for alcohol consumption.

The victim’s vehicle was effectively sawed in half, and the rear part of her vehicle traveled approximately 130 feet away from the front half, ending up in a nearby business parking lot. In addition to being twice over the legal limit for alcohol, the defendant has a prior 2021 conviction for Driving Under the Influence and Driving While License Suspended.

At the time he committed the crimes, the defendant had an active driver’s license suspension. The defendant also had an active bench warrant for failure to appear for a pending misdemeanor Driving While License Suspended at the time these crimes were committed.

The lead prosecutor in the case, Assistant State Attorney Michael Anolfo, commented, “Justice was served at the sentencing hearing. The defendant was ultimately sentenced to 25 years in prison followed by 10 years' probation. Due to all the aggravating factors in this case, the Court sentenced the defendant consecutively on his criminal charges. I would like to thank the friends and family members of the victims in this case who spoke at the sentencing hearing in support of the state's recommended sentence. We appreciate the hard work of the Bradenton Police Department on their investigation.”