Official snared in bribery case dies in suspicious crash

Published May 24, 2016

A Florida city official died in a suspicious single-vehicle crash a day before he was scheduled to surrender in a criminal corruption case.

Authorities say 43-year-old Opa-locka city commissioner Terence Pinder died Tuesday after the city-owned vehicle he was driving crashed into a tree. The tree was located in an undeveloped part of Miami-Opa-locka Executive Airport, far from any major road. Police say they are investigating whether the crash was deliberate.

The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office confirmed Pinder had planned to surrender Wednesday to face bribery and other corruption charges. An arrest warrant says Pinder accepted thousands of dollars to help a businessman establish a recycling transfer station.

The death is the latest blow to Opa-locka, which is under a broader FBI corruption investigation and struggling with its finances.

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