The man accused of causing a crash that killed a Collier County father of four faced a judge Tuesday. Rene Miles, 40, is charged with DUI manslaughter and fleeing the scene of an accident. Investigators say he caused a crash that killed Cecil Riner, 33, and injured his wife Jessica, also 33.
Miles' faced 14 counts, including causing the death of a person, causing serious injury, and property damage. His attorney Donald Day tried to get some of the charges reduced.
"Simply saying that field sobriety tests were performed is not sufficient in and of itself," said Day, referring to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol.
The prosecutor disagreed: "The affidavit specifically says, 'based on the results of the field sobriety exercises.'"
Judge Jim McGarity dropped some of the 14 counts against, Miles, who still faces DUI charges for cauing the death of a person and serious injury. The judge set Miles' bond at $260,000.
Jessica Riner's friend Sarah Marsino said that Jessica is too overwhelmed to even think about the price someone should pay for taking her husband's life.
"She's not a judgmental person, she's a kind person," Marsino said. "She's just trying to process everything, and right now I don't think she has a mean enough bone in her body to put any ill will out there. But she's just devastated by a horrible choice that someone made."
If Miles is able to pay his bond, he will have to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet, and won't be allowed to drink alcohol or drive.
Several funds have set up to help the Riners financially, including a GoFundMe account. People can also make a deposit to an account set up for the Riners at any Suncoast Credit Union.
