Long Island

John Asbury

A woman was killed when a Bellport man crashed into a tree in Brookhaven early Saturday morning, police said, adding he has been arrested and charged with drunken driving. 
Suffolk police said Emmanuel Rivera, 40, was driving a 2001 Toyota Camry west on Montauk Highway by Old South Country Road when he drove off the road and hit a tree about 2 a.m. 
Emergency crews declared Rivera’s front-seat passenger, his girlfriend Arely Garcia, 41, dead at the scene, police said in a news release. 
Rivera was taken to Long Island Community Hospital in Patchogue, where he was treated for minor injuries and released. 
Major case unit detectives charged Rivera with driving while Intoxicated and held him at the Fifth Precinct. He is set to be arraigned Sunday in First District Court in Central Islip. 
Police impounded the Camry and are asking anyone with information to call 631-852-6553.

Suffolk

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Woman killed when alleged drunken driver crashes into tree in Brookhaven, police say

Cops: Woman killed when drunken driver crashes into tree

Matthew Chayes

A driver drunk on more than twice the legal limit for alcohol collided with a police vehicle at the scene of a separate crash in Wading River, causing nonlife-threatening injuries to an officer, according to Riverhead Town Police. 
Kenneth Hamilton, 47, of Wading River, was driving a 2005 Nissan Altima when he crashed into the police car’s rear driver’s side quarter panel, according a court document charging him with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. The police car’s rear overhead light was illuminated at the time. 
Hamilton is an ex-police officer who retired on "accidental disability," according to the Suffolk County Police Department, where he used to work. 
The injured officer, whose name was not released by police, had stopped at the scene of an unrelated crash in Wading River, according to the court document. He had been in one of two marked Riverhead police vehicles dispatched about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday to a crash at Wading River Manorville Road, just north of State Route 25, police said in a news release: A motorist had failed to negotiate a curve and ran off the road onto the shoulder because of fog. That crash had been reported by a passing motorist. 
"While standing by, one of the officers went back to his marked unit and began running data and preparing paperwork and was seated in the front passenger seat of the unit," the release said. "A short time later, the marked police unit was struck by another vehicle traveling northbound on Wading River Manorville Road. The force of the collision pushed the police cruiser off the roadway and onto the eastern shoulder, with both vehicles sustaining extensive damage." 
The injured officer was assisted by colleagues on the scene and taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead. He was hospitalized with a back injury, according to Yvette Aguiar, the Riverhead town supervisor. 
Hamilton had "noticeable impairment" and "an odor of alcohol," the release said. His blood alcohol content was 0.17 at the scene, said Patricia Brosco, the East End bureau chief of the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, at Hamilton's arraignment, according to Tania Lopez, the office spokeswoman. The legal limit is .08. Lopez said Hamilton refused to take a test and thus his driver's license was revoked. 
The charging document against Hamilton said: "The defendant did have slurred speech, a distinct odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath, unsteady on his feet but reports prior left knee injury from prior motor vehicle accident." 
Hamilton was arraigned Thursday and freed without bail, Lopez said. The case is due back in court Feb. 15. Hamilton's attorney, Daniel Ginty of the Legal Aid Society, did not return messages left seeking comment. 
Hamilton started at the Suffolk police academy on Nov. 12, 2002, and left on the accidental disability retirement Feb. 3, 2014, according to an email Friday from the police department’s press office.

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Drunken driver injures Riverhead officer investigating crash, police say

Drunken driver injures officer investigating crash, police say

A 47-year-old man from Wading River was escorted Thursday from the Riverhead Police Department for his arraignment on a charge of driving while intoxicated after slamming into a police officer's vehicle Wednesday night. The officer was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. Newsday's Steve Langford reports.


Crime

Drunk driver hits cop car, injuring officer in Wading River

Newsday

Southampton police arrested a Freeport woman who, they say, was drunk when she crashed into an ambulance on its way to a call early Saturday. 
Kayla Curtis-Jackson, 21, was driving on Ponquogue Avenue at Good Ground Road in Hampton Bays when she collided just before 2 a.m. with a Hampton Bays volunteer ambulance company that was responding to a diabetic emergency, Southampton police said. 
She was charged with misdemeanor DWI, unsafe passing and failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, according to police. 
Curtis-Jackson was held overnight at the Southampton police station and was to be arraigned Saturday morning in Southampton Town Justice Court.

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Drunken driver crashes into ambulance in Hampton Bays, police say

Cops: Drunken driver crashes into ambulance

Michael O'Keeffe

‘Tis the season to be jolly, Long Island officials said Thursday – so don’t ruin the holiday cheer by making it easy for thieves to steal your vehicle. 
Eight cars have been stolen across Suffolk since Sunday, County Executive Steve Bellone and Acting Police Commissioner Risco Mention-Lewis said Thursday at a news conference in Hauppauge. Keys and fobs had been left in all of the stolen vehicles, sometimes in plain sight. 
The holiday season, Mention-Lewis said, presents special opportunities for criminals. 
"Thieves know people are preparing for the holidays, doing their shopping and are sometimes distracted," Mention-Lewis said. 
Vehicle theft is down 6.2% in Suffolk this year, according to Mention-Lewis. But that is little consolation to victims of the latest string of vehicle thefts. 
"Many victims of vehicle theft not only leave their cars unlocked, but they leave key fobs in plain sight, either on the passenger seat, the driver's seat or in the cup holder," Bellone said. "This allows car thieves to easily enter the vehicle and take off." 
Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said vehicle thefts are down 7.1% in his county. The vast majority of Nassau victims had also left keys and fobs in their vehicles, Ryder said. 
"The Nassau County Police Department continues to intensify patrols around all areas where we have seen an increase in vehicle theft and have made several arrests during the course of these investigations," Ryder said. 
Mention-Lewis, acting commissioner until former NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison assumes the job next month, said Suffolk police have beefed up patrols at malls and downtown shopping districts to dissuade or catch vehicle thieves. Additional patrols will also be on the lookout for drunken and drugged drivers, she said. 
According to Suffolk police, the string of vehicle thefts began on Sunday, when a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee was stolen from a home in East Northport. That vehicle was later recovered in Commack. 
A 2019 BMW, a 2019 Acura and a 2009 Audi were stolen early Monday from residences in Fort Salonga, according to police. A 2020 BMW, 2020 Lincoln and 2017 Dodge were stolen from a Bayport residence on Tuesday. 
A 2021 Chevrolet Traverse was also stolen that same day from a home in Huntington. 
Bellone said that while it is tempting to warm up a car in the driveway during the winter, or leave it running outside a store while running a brief errand, it is an invitation to criminals. 
"That gives lurking thieves an opportunity to steal, to potentially steal your car or other items," Bellone said. "That can turn a simple errand into a stressful situation and a costly situation as well."

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LI motorists urged to lock cars to prevent thefts

Suffolk Executive Steve Bellone and Acting Police Commissioner Risco Mention-Lewis said there has been an increase of car thefts in the county since Dec. 19, and all involved vehicles in which drivers had left the key or fob inside.

 


Suffolk officials: Be aware of car thefts this holiday season

liCARS211224_video

Robert Brodsky

Suffolk Police Officer Timothy Thrane stood up from his wheelchair Thursday to thunderous applause from his brothers in blue as he exited a Port Jefferson rehabilitation center after six days of treatment — a recovery from critical injuries that his family and medical staff called a "miracle." 
Thrane, 35, who was struck by an allegedly drunken driver in Yaphank last month while investigating a traffic accident, said he was looking forward to celebrating Christmas at home in Mastic with his wife and three children, ages 3, 5 and 11. 
"This is what I’ve been wanting since I woke up" from a coma, Thrane said as he left St. Charles Hospital and Rehabilitation Center. "I’ve wanted to go home. It’s amazing. I couldn’t wait for this day." 
Janelle Thrane, the officer’s wife, said it’s a "miracle" that her husband, who was in a medically induced coma less than two weeks ago, is ready to complete his recovery at home.
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"I wouldn’t have expected anything less given how strong he is and everything he’s gone through," she said. 
Thrane was directing traffic and laying road flares just after midnight on Nov. 3 at the site of a crash in Yaphank when a Chevrolet pickup driven by William Petersohn, 38, of Mastic, crashed into the back of a GMC Yukon parked nearby, police said. The impact from the crash caused the Yukon to fishtail and spin into Thrane. 
He fractured his skull, suffering an epidural hematoma — an artery ripped on the inside of his skull, filling blood into his brain — that could have been fatal if not for treatment at the scene by Ridge firefighters and aviation paramedics, doctors said. 
Thrane, who was rushed into brain surgery at Stony Brook University Hospital, also broke his arm, ripped all the ligaments in his neck, broke his hand and tore the ligaments in his knee after being struck by the GMC, said Dr. James Vosswinkel, chief of trauma surgery at Stony Brook. 
The officer also experienced inflammation throughout his body and became critically ill with adult respiratory distress syndrome, in which his body’s immune system attacked his lungs, making it difficult to use a ventilator to keep him breathing and requiring a tracheostomy through his neck, Vosswinkel said last week. 
After spending nearly four weeks in a medically induced coma, Thrane made a full neurological recovery and was released from the hospital Dec. 3 to boisterous cheers from hundreds of fellow officers. 
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But while Thrane left Stony Brook on a stretcher, he exited St. Charles Thursday on his own two feet, emerging from a wheelchair to greet rehabilitation center staff and Suffolk police. 
"When I woke up not that long ago, I couldn’t even get out of bed," Thrane said. "I said that every day I am going to make a little bit of improvement somehow." 
Acting Suffolk Police Commissioner Stuart Cameron said Thrane’s rapid recovery "shows incredible determination both to be a father and be back with family, but also to be back at work." 
Thrane’s physical and occupational therapists said the officer put in hours of difficult work every day, improving his strength and endurance and relearning basic tasks such as walking, putting on a shirt and brushing his teeth. 
"We pushed him really hard and he put in a lot of hard work," said physical therapist Lindsay Aponte. "But he fought so hard and it’s definitely a miracle how much he’s progressed." 
Occupational therapist Juan Florez added that "since day one, he was always trying to push and go to the limit and learn the information to become as independent as possible. It’s a key factor to why he’s doing as well as he’s doing." 
Thrane will still require at-home care to recover from injuries to his left arm, shoulder and knee and to improve his endurance, facility staff said. 
Petersohn, who was also injured, pleaded not guilty last month to a misdemeanor charge of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. He’s due back in court Dec. 22. 
A police motorcade escorted Thrane home Thursday, where he was greeted with hugs from his children, relatives, friends, neighbors and officers. A large sign on the lawn read, "Welcome home daddy," and featured pictures of Thrane and his family. 
Thrane then gave a final wave to the crowd and walked into his home for the first time in more than five weeks.

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Suffolk cop critically injured by alleged drunk driver goes home after 'miracle' recovery

Suffolk County Police Officer Timothy Thrane was released from Stony Brook University Hospital, a month to the day after suffering life-threatening injuries. His families and colleagues rejoiced. Newsday's Steve Langford reports. 


Critically injured Suffolk cop leaves hospital amid cheers

Brookhaven Town

Stony Brook

Port Jefferson

LITHRANE211204_video

Suffolk Police Officer Timothy Thrane, critically injured by an alleged drunken driver, spent weeks fighting for his life and yesterday hundreds of his fellow cops cheered his release from Stony Brook University Hospital. 
Bagpipes played "God Bless America" as a gurney carrying Thrane, 35, was escorted to a waiting ambulance to be taken to St. Charles Hospital for rehabilitation therapy, where doctors say he must learn to walk again and feed himself. Doctors said he could be home by Christmas. 
Police officers lined up outside the hospital and for the first time in a month, Thrane was reunited with his three children. 
"I feel great," Thrane said sitting up on a gurney. "It feels great to be one step closer to going home." 
He added, "It’s overwhelming, the support I got the whole time. That’s the longest I’ve ever not seen my children." 
Thrane was directing traffic and laying road flares just after midnight Nov. 3 at the site of a crash in Yaphank when a Chevrolet pickup driven by William Petersohn, 38, of Mastic, crashed into the back of a GMC Yukon parked nearby, police said. The impact from the crash caused the Yukon to fishtail and spin into Thrane. 

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His mother, Joann Thrane, said Friday was her birthday and all she wanted was for her son to leave the hospital and see his family. 
"Today is the best birthday present I’ve ever had," she said. "It’s a miracle, our Christmas miracle, and he deserves it. He belongs home with his kids." 
Thrane has made a full neurological recovery after spending nearly four weeks in a medically induced coma, his doctor said. 
"When he woke up, Tim was there. Tim was still Tim," Dr. James Vosswinkel, the chief of trauma surgery at Stony Brook, said. 
His family greeted him with flowers, hugs and kisses before he boarded the ambulance, including his wife Janelle Thrane and their children, 3, 5 and 11. 
"Hopefully for Christmas, that’s the plan," She said. "It’s been very tough." 
Vosswinkel said the effort to save Thrane’s life started at the scene of the crash, where fellow officers trained as EMTs began to care for him with Ridge firefighters and aviation paramedics. He said Thrane was taken to Stony Brook within 30 minutes after the crash. 
"It really was a true team to save Tim’s life," Vosswinkel said. "The injuries Tim had were life-threatening and intensive." 
As soon as Thrane was struck by the SUV, he fractured his skull, suffering an epidural hematoma — an artery ripped on the inside of his skull, filling blood into his brain. If the blood is not evacuated, patients can suffer permanent brain injury or die quickly, Vosswinkel said. 
"It is truly a time sensitive injury," Vosswinkel said. "If it wasn’t for what happened at the scene, and the treatment of that incredible team bringing him here, we wouldn’t have Tim." 
When he arrived at the Stony Brook emergency department, Thrane was rushed into brain surgery. He also broke his arm, ripped all the ligaments in his neck, broke his hand and ripped the ligaments in his knee after being struck by the GMC. 
Thrane also experienced inflammation throughout his body and became critically ill with adult respiratory distress syndrome, where his body's immune system attacked his lungs, making it difficult to use a ventilator to keep him breathing, requiring a tracheostomy through his neck, Vosswinkel said. 
Nearly four weeks after the crash, Thrane’s lungs had recovered to remove the ventilator and he woke up to FaceTime his children. 
Doctors said he will still require months of rehabilitation to recover from his physical injuries and lying in bed for the past month. 
"He’s completely neurologically intact, but his body’s not there," Vosswinkel said. "He’s got a road ahead of him, but he’s going to be home with his family. He’s going to be a dad, a husband and he’s going to be a police officer again." 
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said he has been at Stony Brook several times for injured officers, but has also celebrated officers recovering from life-threatening injuries going home. 
"Unfortunately we have been here before," Bellone said. "But every time we’ve been here, the care for our officers is world class and without question saved lives." 
Suffolk County acting Police Commissioner Stuart Cameron said Thrane was taking the first step to a full recovery after "literally fighting for his life every day." 
Cameron said, "This incident highlights the inherent dangers in our profession and why we must continue to eradicate drunk and impaired driving from our roadways." 
Petersohn, who was also injured, pleaded not guilty through his attorney during a Nov. 4 arraignment from his hospital room to a misdemeanor charge of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Petersohn is set to return to court Dec. 22. 
Greeting Thrane were three other Suffolk County police officers and detectives who were critically injured and returned to duty — Det. Nicholas Guerrero, Det. Cristopher Racioppo and Officer Mark Collins. 
"When there’s a police officer in your family, you get used to missing a lot of holidays together," Cameron said. "But you never get used to the constant concern when they leave their house, they might not return home safely." 
A Suffolk County PBA endorsed fundraiser for Thrane had raised nearly $140,000 to cover expenses by Friday. 
PBA president Noel DiGerolamo said Stony Brook has saved the lives of five officers in the past seven years. 
"You have to remember the sacrifices they’re willing to make on a daily basis are for people they never met," DiGerolamo said. "That’s what defines them."

LITHRANE211204

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Critically injured Suffolk police officer Timothy Thrane leaves hospital after 1 month

Critically injured Suffolk cop leaves hospital after 1 month

Bridget Murphy

Dina Lohan surrendered Friday to start serving an 18-day jail sentence after a Nassau County Court proceeding that followed her September guilty plea to felony drunken driving. 
Acting State Supreme Court Justice Caryn Fink also sentenced the mother of actress Lindsay Lohan to 5 years of probation on top of the jail term and imposed other conditions. 
Police arrested Lohan, 59, of North Merrick, nearly two years ago in a drunken driving incident. Now she will have to give a DNA sample, do any therapy that probation officials order, participate in a victim impact panel and take part while jailed in a program aimed at stopping drunken driving. 
In addition, her driver's license will be revoked for at least 18 months and she will have to install alcohol ignition interlock devices on any vehicle she owns or operates during probation. 
Defense attorney John Pedranghelu Jr. asked Fink to consider that Lohan has celiac disease, diverticulitis and chronic neck pain, along with a PTSD diagnosis. He said his client completed 20 sessions of online substance abuse counseling during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with some inpatient treatment. 
The Hicksville lawyer then asked for leniency and compassion from the judge, while also citing the pandemic and the holiday season. 
Fink said she reviewed letters from Lohan's family and friends that spoke of the defendant's character strengths and charity work and acknowledged Lohan had undergone treatment after her arrest. 
"I did consider everything that has been submitted, but I do also have to evaluate what happened on the day of the incident," Fink said before meting out Lohan's punishment. 
Police arrested Lohan on the evening of Jan. 11, 2020, after she crashed her Mercedes-Benz into a Honda CR-V outside a steakhouse at Merrick Mall before leaving the scene. 
The other driver called 911 and followed Lohan before a police officer approached her car and noted that Lohan's breath smelled of alcohol, her speech was slurred and her eyes were bloodshot, according to a felony complaint. 
The document also said the motorist got out of her vehicle and "fell to the ground on her face" before accusing the officer of pushing her. Lohan admitted she'd had a glass of wine but wouldn't take sobriety tests, according to police. 
Lohan's felony DWI conviction follows her 2014 misdemeanor conviction for aggravated drunken driving in Nassau County. 
"There won't be a next time," she'd said at her prior sentencing. On Friday, Lohan didn't address the judge. 
In the current case, she also pleaded guilty to leaving an accident scene and agreed to waive the right to appeal her conviction. 
Prosecutor Alexandra Wolff said Friday that her office had recommended the judge sentence Lohan to 6 months in jail and 5 years of probation, along with other conditions. But she said her office was prepared to go forward knowing how the judge planned to sentence Lohan. 
Both a Nassau District Attorney's Office spokesman and Pedranghelu declined to comment after court. 
Prosecutors expect Lohan to spend less than 18 days in Nassau's jail, in part because of time she spent in custody after her arrest and also because defendants generally serve two-thirds of their sentences with credit for good behavior.

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Dina Lohan sentenced to 18 days in jail and 5 years' probation for DWI

Dina Lohan gets 18 days in jail and 5 years' probation for DWI

Dina Lohan left a courthouse in Mineola on Friday after being sentenced to 18 days in jail and 5 years' probation. The mother of actor Lindsay Lohan pleaded guilty to felony drunken driving in September.


Dina Lohan leaves courthouse after sentencing

liLOHAN211204_video

Joan Gralla and Ted Phillips

One of four passengers in a Dodge Charger died after the vehicle's driver, now charged with drunken driving, crashed into another car and flipped over on the southbound Robert Moses Causeway Sunday evening, State Police said in a statement. 
On Monday morning, the passenger who died was identified as Allen Boston, 23, of West Babylon, who was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead from his injuries, the statement said. 
Police arrested and charged Michael Lupo, 23, of North Babylon, who they said was behind the wheel of the Dodge. No arraignment information was available online in his case Monday. 
Three of the four passengers traveling in the Dodge suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the 7:34 p.m. crash, as did the driver of the other car, a Ford Focus, and one passenger. 
State troopers investigating the collision ask that witnesses or anyone with information call 631-756-3300.

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Passenger dies, driver charged with DWI in Robert Moses Causeway car crash

liFATAL211123_photos

The mother of actress Lindsay Lohan admitted to felony drunken driving Tuesday as part of a plea deal that includes an 18-day jail sentence and five years of probation following her arrest in North Merrick last year. 
Dina Lohan, 59, donned sunglasses and tried to hide behind supporters while leaving court after telling a Nassau judge she was pleading guilty of her own free will. 
She also agreed to waive her right to appeal her conviction. 
Acting State Supreme Court Justice Caryn Fink said she will sentence Lohan on Dec. 3 and ordered her to cooperate with probation officials as they craft a presentence report. 
Lohan's punishment will include taking part in any therapy that probation officials order, along with participating in a victim impact panel and taking part, while jailed, in a program aimed at stopping drunken driving. 
The judge said Lohan's driver's license would be revoked for 18 months and after that the defendant would have to use an alcohol ignition interlock device to drive. 
Lohan ignored a request for comment after the Nassau County Court proceeding. Her attorney, John Pedranghelu Jr., declined to comment. Nicole Turso, a spokeswoman for the Nassau District Attorney's Office, also declined to comment on the case Tuesday. 
Lohan's plea follows her indictment earlier this year on a felony drunken driving charge, a misdemeanor charge of aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle and an infraction of leaving an accident scene. Lohan also pleaded guilty to the infraction Tuesday. 
 Nassau prosecutor Alexandra Wolff told the judge her office was recommending six months in jail, five years of probation and participation in a victim impact panel for Lohan. 
But the prosecutor also said her office was prepared to go forward with the plea deal that was reached with the defense after learning Fink would sentence the defendant to 18 days in jail and five years of probation along with other conditions 
Authorities said Lohan was drunk on the evening of Jan. 11, 2020, when she crashed her Mercedes-Benz into a Honda CR-V outside a steakhouse at Merrick Mall before leaving the scene. 
The other driver called 911 and followed Lohan before a police officer approached her Mercedes and noted her breath smelled of alcohol, her speech was slurred and her eyes were bloodshot, according to a felony complaint. 
It also said Lohan got out of her vehicle and "fell to the ground on her face" before accusing the officer of pushing her. Lohan admitted she'd had a glass of wine but refused sobriety tests, according to police. 
The North Merrick resident's felony conviction comes after her 2014 misdemeanor conviction for aggravated drunken driving in Nassau County. 
That followed her 2013 arrest by State Police after they said she drove a BMW at 77 mph in a 55-mph zone on the Northern State Parkway with a blood alcohol content of 0.20% — above the state's 0.08% legal threshold for intoxication. 
In that case, a different judge fined Lohan $2,600, suspended her driver's license for a year and imposed other conditions. She also did 100 hours of community service. 
"There won't be a next time," Lohan said at her sentencing then.

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Plea deal: Dina Lohan to be sentenced to 18 days in jail, probation, for felony DWI conviction

Plea deal: Dina Lohan to be sentenced to 18 days in jail, probation, for felony DWI conviction

liLOHAN210929_photos

John Valenti

A Huntington Station man was arrested and charged with drunken driving following a wrong-way crash in the hamlet that injured him and a Florida couple, Suffolk County police said. 
In an unrelated incident, police said a Huntington man was arrested a few hours later and charged with driving while intoxicated after an officer stopped him as he drove the wrong direction on the Long Island Expressway in Dix Hills. 
In the first Sunday night arrest, police said a husband and wife from Ocean Ridge, Florida, both 67, were transported to Huntington Hospital with minor injuries after their 2013 Jeep Wrangler was struck head-on just after 7:20 p.m. by a 2008 Nissan sedan driven by Elmer Penate, 33, of Huntington Station. Penate, who was transported to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore for treatment of serious injuries, was charged with driving while intoxicated, police said. 
Penate was driving eastbound in the westbound lane of Pulaski Road in Huntington Station when he struck the Jeep near Depot Road, police said. 
Second Squad detectives impounded both vehicles and asked anyone with information on the crash to call them at 631-854-8252. All calls will remain confidential. 
Penate faces arraignment at a later date, police said. 
In the second stop at about 10:30 p.m., police said Second Precinct Officer Weldon Drayton was driving westbound on the LIE in his marked patrol car when he saw a 2010 Mazda MZ6, driven by Jose Luis Mendoza, 34, of Huntington, headed east onto the expressway in a westbound lane on the Exit 51 off ramp. The officer pulled over Mendoza and determined he was intoxicated, according to police. 
Mendoza was released on his own recognizance Monday after his arraignment in First District Court in Central Islip, said Sheila Kelly, a spokesperson for the Suffolk County District Attorney's office. Mendoza is represented by the Suffolk County Legal Aid, who could not immediately be reached for comment. 
With Keldy Ortiz

LIWRONG210914

Cops: Driver charged with DWI after wrong-way crash in Huntington Station

Cops: Driver charged with DWI after wrong-way crash

A Copiague woman pleaded not guilty to a drunken driving crash that killed a man Tuesday night when he was pinned between two parked cars. 
Police said Annmarie Donadeo was driving a 2008 Chevy TrailBlazer on Hawkins Boulevard when she crashed into a parked car at 9:10 p.m. that struck and killed Travis Kenard, 28, who was standing between the cars in front of his home. 
Kenard was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center where he died from his injuries. 
Donadeo appeared in a Central Islip courtroom Wednesday where she was arraigned on a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated. 
Police said she was found with glassy, bloodshot eyes and the smell of alcohol on her breath. She said she was coming from a friend’s house and had wine five hours earlier, according to court records. 
She failed a field sobriety test and a Breathalyzer three hours later showed her blood alcohol concentration was 0.12, above the 0.08 legal limit, court records stated. 
Prosecutors said they may upgrade the case to felony charges. 
Suffolk County Judge James Saladino set bail at $25,000 cash or $100,000 bond. 
Donadeo’s attorney Vincent Grande was unsure whether she could post bail. 
"She has absolute regret and remorse and she’s very sorry to the family," Grande said. "She’s admitting nothing and we look forward to her day in court." 
Anyone with information about the crash should call the Major Case Unit at 631-852-6555 or Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS. All calls will remain confidential. 
— With Cecilia Dowd and Joan Gralla

LIDWI210826

Copiague man killed in crash outside home; driver charged with DWI, Suffolk police say

Police: Man killed in crash outside home; driver charged with DWI

A 28-year old man was killed after authorities said a woman driving drunk on Tuesday crashed into a parked car, pinning the man between that car and another one in Copiague. Newsday's Cecilia Dowd reports.


Woman accused of driving drunk and crashing, resulting in the death of a man pinned between two parked cars

Cops: Driver charged with DWI after crash that killed man standing between parked cars

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Suspected DWI crashes, arrests on LI

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Robert Besedin Sr., now 79, alleged in a lawsuit filed in 2018 that Nassau officers Stephen Beckwith and Dominick Mantovani violated his civil rights by falsely arresting and maliciously prosecuting him during the Feb. 7, 2017 incident.

Jury awards more than $2.3M to Air Force veteran from LI who accused 2 police officers of assaulting him in 2017

Athena Gonzalez is charged with taking more than $41,000 for her personal use.

LI woman charged with stealing over $41G from Queens PTA she led, DA says

Fredetrick Mei, of Bayville, who publicly introduced the phrase "the Oyster Bay way" in a nod to the town's pay-to-play culture that sent him and Mangano to federal prison, was granted a "compassionate release," according to a Tuesday court order.

Central figure in Mangano corruption case released from federal prison, officials say

Hart is supporting the Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce's work to help businesses recover in time for the holiday season.

Sayville's Melissa Joan Hart donates to post-fire fundraising effort

Port Jefferson officials approved a measure after an unattended weapon was found in a village hall bathroom in recent weeks.

LI village bans staff from carrying weapons while on duty

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Huntington Town officials are moving to give local historic designation to the Hubbs Burr House, which was built in the late 1800s, to help it last for generations. 

'This house should be around for generations to come'

The county has announced improvements, but residents say the efforts are too little, too late.

This intersection in West Babylon has seen 5 fatalities over 2 years

"I have real concerns about the direction of the Republican party," former VP Mike Pence said at an LIA luncheon, and would not say if was planning to vote for former President Donald Trump. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports. 

'I haven't endorsed our ticket'  

Former Bay Shore teacher Thomas Bernagozzi on Monday denied sexual abuse allegations while testifying during a civil trial against the school district. Newsday courts reporter Grant Parpan has the latest.

Civil trial against Bay Shore school district continues with accused ex-teacher's testimony

Fire Island Pines Chief Kyle Merker said there was so much bamboo on fire when he arrived to the scene, he couldn't even see the house.

'It was really intense'

State records show the owners of Cold Spring Hills Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation in Woodbury, tried to close the facility but didn't finalize the plans. 

'The question is what happens next if there's no buyer?'

Michael Jeffries, former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO, pleaded not guilty on federal charges that he ran a prostitution and international sex trafficking business in the Hamptons and New York City.

Michael Jeffries, former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO pleads not guilty to sex trafficking and prostitution charges 

Here's how these Long Island content creators use TikTok to build their careers.

Meet the Long Islanders making it big on TikTok 

JetBlue Airways launched its inaugural nonstop flight from Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma to Orlando, Florida.

'This is a great day for Long Island'

Police are seeing more road rage incidents with 169 reported in Nassau this year. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.

'I want to be safe in my car'

Freeport residents on Monday celebrated Gov. Hochul's veto of a bill which would have allowed Cleveland Avenue Fields to lose its park status and be sold to developers. NewsdayTV's Cecilia Dowd reports.

Park saved: 'It was a very good holiday gift for us'

Suffolk police said a driver of a car is facing charges of driving while ability impaired in connection with a deadly motorcycle crash on the LIE early Monday.

Driver faces charges in fatal motorcycle crash on LIE

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