Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested one individual after a traffic crash fatality early Tuesday morning. The crash occurred at Snell Creek Road in Davenport and is still under investigation by the PCSO Traffic Homicide Unit.
 
A white F250 work truck with one adult male driver was driving northbound on Power Line Road which intersects with Snell Creek Road. A silver Toyota truck with one adult male driver and two adult female passengers was travelling westbound on Snell Road approaching this intersection. The Toyota truck failed to stop at the stop sign resulting in a collision with the F250 truck. The F250 crashed into the driver’s side of the Toyota. The F250 spun 180 degrees and came to a final stop in a yard northwest of the intersection. The Toyota flipped onto its roof and came to a final stop in the same yard.
 
All except one of the passengers were wearing seatbelts. The passenger with no seatbelt, a 34 year old woman from Davenport, was determined to be deceased inside the vehicle when help arrived. The other passenger, a 36 year old woman from Groveland, had serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital. The driver of the F250, a 45 year old Haines City man who was in the country legally from Mexico on a valid work authorization card, suffered some bruising and abrasion and was also transported to a local hospital. The driver of the Toyota suffered some abrasions but refused medical attention.
 
The driver of the Toyota truck, 45 year-old Billado Mendez, originally said the deceased female passenger was driving at the time of the crash but evidence showed he was the actual driver. Mendez is in the country illegally from Mexico and has never possessed a valid driver’s license.
 
Mendez’s criminal history includes a DUI arrest and operating a vehicle with no valid driver’s license.
 
Mendez was arrested for No Valid Driver’s License Involving Death (F2) and Giving False Information to Law Enforcement During an Investigation (F3). Both charges are enhanced due to Mendez being an unauthorized alien. An ICE hold has been placed on Mendez.
 
"This is a tragic incident that never should have happened. Driving without a license endangers lives, and lying to investigators only makes matters worse. What’s especially troubling is that this individual was in our country illegally and had no legal authority to operate a vehicle, yet his reckless decisions led to a woman losing her life.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
 
Detectives are still trying to locate any next of kin or family to the decedent, 34 year-old Heydi Maricela Funes Inestroza, if you have any information please contact Detective Mendez at 863-668-3105.