WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A West Palm Beach police sergeant who was killed in a fiery crash in Boynton Beach earlier this year had more than three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system at the time of the wreck.
A toxicology report found that Fernando DeSouza, 43, had a blood alcohol level of .268 when he crashed his patrol car into a pole and it caught fire. It is illegal to drive in Florida with a .08% blood alcohol content or higher.
The wreck that killed DeSouza happened July 28 along the intersection of Hypoloxo and Lawrence roads just after 2:30 a.m.
West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach sergeant killed in crash was 'tremendous loss,' chief says
DeSouza was the only person involved in the wreck.
He was a 16-year veteran of the department. He was hired as an officer in January 2007 and was promoted to sergeant in October 2017. Most recently he was assigned to road patrol in the south end of the city.
WPTV asked West Palm Beach police for a statement about the crash. However, they said they had no comment since the officer was not on duty at the time of the wreck.
