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Pastor Arrested in Daughter's Fatal DUI Crash
20 Jul
Summary
- A South Florida youth pastor was arrested for a fatal DUI crash.
- The crash killed his 8-year-old daughter and injured two others.
- The incident occurred just before the anniversary of his wife's death.
Deputies arrested Joel Leiniz, a 38-year-old youth pastor from South Florida, on Sunday. The arrest stems from a January crash that resulted in the death of his 8-year-old daughter, Zoë Leiniz, and injured two other children. Leiniz faces charges of vehicular homicide and DUI homicide.
The incident occurred along Military Trail near John I. Leonard High School in Greenacres. Leiniz was driving a 2017 Audi Q7 with four passengers when he allegedly swerved to avoid another vehicle, subsequently striking a concrete pole. Zoë Leiniz passed away at a hospital about an hour after the collision.
Leiniz and his two other daughters, aged 11 and 5, sustained injuries and were hospitalized. This tragedy follows closely behind the death of Leiniz's wife, Sasha, whose one-year anniversary was approaching. Leiniz was a youth pastor at New Covenant Church in Pompano Beach, where his wife also worked. A GoFundMe campaign has been initiated to support his family during his recovery and to care for his daughters.
