PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A 38-year-old father who was accused of causing a crash that caused the death of his 8-year-old daughter and the injuries of his 6-year-old and 12-year-old daughters was out in Palm Beach County.
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Joel Lemiz, a former youth pastor at the New Covenant Church in Broward County, faced one count of vehicular homicide and another of DUI homicide after a crash on Jan. 17 in Greenacres, records show.
Lemiz, of Margate, was driving an Audi Q7 at 104 mph in a 40-mph zone, and he had a blood alcohol level of .083, just slightly above the legal limit in Florida, according to Palm Beach deputies.
Detectives accused Lemiz of driving an Audi Q7 while under the influence of alcohol after attending a church concert with his daughters, and crashing into a pole at 11:05 p.m., records show.
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Lemiz told an investigator that he was traveling southbound on Military Trail when “there was a car in front of him and he swerved right to avoid a collision and he lost control,” a deputy wrote, records show.
Lemiz’s daughter Zoë was pronounced dead at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach.
On Monday, Lemiz appeared in bond court before Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Donald Hafele set his bail at $150,000, or $75,000 for each of the charges, according to Palm Beach deputies.
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