JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Duval County judge denied a bond reduction motion on Thursday for the driver accused of killing an 18-year-old Creekside High School grad in a wrong-way head-on crash in May.
Ariel Monteagudo is accused of slamming his Mercedes head-on into Trenton Stewart’s trailblazer on Old St. Augustine Road.
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Monteagudo has been held on a $750,000 bond since his arrest.
Monteagudo’s defense asked the judge for a “reasonable” bond alleging that he is still in rehab from the injuries he suffered in the crash. She also said Monteagudo is confined to a wheelchair and can’t drive.
However, the State Attorney’s Office said while Monteagudo is in a wheelchair, there is no medical documentation that he is confined to one, and he said he’s not confident Monteagudo would be found again if he gets out of jail.
Moreover, the prosecutor noted his prior conviction in Broward County for vehicular homicide, for which he served ten years in prison, and said Monteagudo poses a danger to the community.
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The judge denied the bond reduction motion, saying the current bond was appropriate.
Stewart’s mother, Mandi Stewart, told News4JAX just after the crash that her son was just two miles away from home when he was killed. The arrest report said Monteagudo was speeding.
Stewart’s parents are thankful that Monteagudo’s bond reduction was denied, but it isn’t easy to be in the courthouse and share the same room as him.
They said every time they arrive at a court hearing, they’re honoring their son’s memory:
“Just leaving the world a better place than we found it. Doing everything we can no matter how difficult it is to sit through things like we did today. Keeping our focus on scholarships and giving back to the community because that’s exactly what he would be doing,” his mother said.
The Trenton Stewart Foundation has a goal of advocating for a law in his memory, that would require an automatic increase in sentencing guidelines for repeat offenders of vehicular homicide and/or DUI manslaughter.
Monteagudo’s next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 22, 2024.