A Riverhead man was arrested Saturday afternoon and charged with felony driving while intoxicated under Leandra’s Law after a traffic stop near Northville Turnpike and Union Avenue, Riverhead Town police said.
Police said a Riverhead Police Department Highway Patrol unit stopped a 2021 Toyota Tacoma at about 1:13 p.m. March 7 for traffic violations in the area of Northville Turnpike and Union Avenue. Following an investigation, officers determined the driver, Amilcar Carreto Lopez, 31, of Riverhead, was intoxicated, police said.
Police said three children — ages 3 months, 2 years and 4 years — and an adult passenger were in the vehicle at the time of the stop.
Carreto Lopez was charged with Driving While Intoxicated in violation of Leandra’s Law, a felony, and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, police said. The vehicle was impounded, and Carreto Lopez was processed and held for Sunday morning arraignment, according to police.
Leandra’s Law took effect in November 2009. It is named for Leandra Rosado of the Bronx, an 11-year-old killed in October 2009 when a car driven by a drunk family friend crashed on the Henry Hudson Parkway. Anyone charged with DWI or driving while impaired with a passenger under age 16 is automatically charged with a Class E Felony, a crime punishable by up to four years in state prison.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Source: RiverheadLOCAL
