Sleepy driver pleads not guilty in manslaughter
By Michelle Casady - Express-NewsRuben Renteria, who was indicted earlier this month on two counts of manslaughter, was back in court Tuesday to enter a plea of not guilty.
The indictment by a Nueces County grand jury stems from an incident last August, when Renteria drove his girlfriend, her three children and her sister's five children from San Antonio to Port Aransas for a day at the beach. He fell asleep behind the wheel, just five minutes from a rest stop where he planned to take a break, and wrecked. The vehicle flipped, killing two of the eight children inside the Mitsubishi SUV.
Renteria's girlfriend, Jeanette Castañon, lost her son, Jacob Ricarte, 8, and her niece, Jelena Robles, 3, in the crash.
