Hewlett man charged with DWI after crash with toddlers in SUV, police say
Luis Hernandez, 36, of Hewlett, was charged with counts including aggravated driving while intoxicated, police said. Credit: NCPD
A Hewlett man driving with toddlers was intoxicated when he crashed his SUV into a telephone pole, Nassau police said in announcing his arrest.
Luis Hernandez, 36, of Park Avenue, was arraigned Tuesday on charges that include aggravated driving while intoxicated, known as Leandra’s Law, which makes it a felony to drive drunk, high or both with a passenger younger than 16.
Judge Eileen J. Goggin of First District Court in Hempstead ordered Hernandez jailed on $2,500 cash or $1,250 bond bail, according to online court records. As of midafternoon, Hernandez had not posted the bail, the records show. The case is back in court on Thursday.
The arrest was Monday at 1:20 a.m., after Hernandez crashed his 2002 Toyota RAV4 into the pole at Broadway and Rockaway Avenue in Hewlett, according to a police news release. His passengers were the toddlers — ages 1 and 3 — as well as a 26-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman, according to the release.
The passengers were brought to a hospital “for precautionary evaluations,” and the children were handed over to their mother, the release said.
The release did not say whether Hernandez is the toddlers' father or explain why the police suspected him of being intoxicated.
Hernandez is charged with two counts of aggravated driving while intoxicated under Leandra’s Law, two counts of child endangerment, driving while intoxicated and driving without a valid license, according to the release. Hernandez was represented by a lawyer from the Legal Aid Society Of Nassau County, which maintains a policy of not commenting.
Leandra’s Law, enacted in 2010, is named after 11-year-old Leandra Rosado of Manhattan, who died in a crash in 2009 on the West Side Highway in which her friend's mother was charged with drunken driving.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
'No one wants to pay more taxes than they need to' Nearly 20,000 Long Islanders work in town and city government. A Newsday investigation found a growing number of them are making more than $200,000 a year. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.
'No one wants to pay more taxes than they need to' Nearly 20,000 Long Islanders work in town and city government. A Newsday investigation found a growing number of them are making more than $200,000 a year. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.
