A School District of Manatee County employee has been arrested in connection with a deadly DUI incident that took place in Bradenton in July, according to WFLA.

Robert Viera, 52, was arrested earlier this month and charged with tampering with evidence in a criminal proceeding, a third-degree felony.

The incident occurred on July 7 at the intersection of 42nd Avenue West and 59th Street West in Bradenton, involving a collision between a Ford truck and a motorcycle, as stated in an arrest warrant filed in Manatee County.

Driving the Ford F-250 was 52-year-old Milton May, who was arrested the day after the crash on a DUI warrant.

Viera, who was a passenger in the vehicle, and the driver had recently departed from Clancy’s Sports Bar and Grill, just moments before the crash occurred, the arrest warrant noted.

The Ford was eastbound on 42nd Avenue, approaching the intersection with 59th Street, while the motorcycle was traveling north on 59th Street, heading towards the same intersection.

According to the arrest warrant, the Ford did not stop at the clearly marked stop sign before entering the intersection, leading to a collision with the motorcycle on its passenger side.

As a result of the crash, the motorcyclist sustained serious injuries, including brain bleeding, several spinal fractures, and fractures in both wrists. Tragically, the passenger on the motorcycle suffered a significant head injury and was declared dead at the scene.

Responding officers noticed signs of impairment in May, including a strong smell of alcohol and slurred speech. He refused field sobriety tests and was then arrested and taken to a nearby hospital. There, he told the nurses on staff that he had a “vodka and tea,” before claiming moments later that he hadn’t had anything to drink. Medical records obtained by police showed May had a blood alcohol level of .097.

May has been charged with DUI resulting in serious injury and DUI resulting in death, both felonies.

The case against Viera, who was the passenger, revolves around an accusation that he removed alcohol from the car immediately after the crash before police arrived on the scene, therefore removing evidence that would have been used in the case against May.

Surveillance video from the bar shows May and Viera arriving with cups in their hands, and leaving a few hours later with the same cups and getting into May’s truck. The arrest warrant says the amount of alcohol May consumed inside the bar was not enough to raise his BAC to .097, and investigators concluded that he was either drinking somewhere else before arriving at Clancy’s, or was drinking alcohol that he and Viera brought with them in addition to drinks purchased at the bar.

As they were leaving the bar, May and Viera were seen placing the cups in the center console before leaving the parking lot.

In the moments after the crash, surveillance video shows Viera exiting the truck, removing a bag from the backseat, then removing objects from the front of the car. Viera walks away holding the bag, discards it, and immediately returns to the car, the arrest warrant said.

Police were unable to find the cups or the bag when they searched the vehicle, and no one else was seen taking anything out of the car.

Viera is set to appear in court on September 19. The School District of Manatee County said he is still employed by their district pending the outcome of the case, but he is not currently assigned to a school or working as a driver’s ed instructor.