Cops: Drivers face DWI charges after crashes in Nassau, Suffolk
Nassau County police responded after a pedestrian was struck by a car on Front Street near New York Avenue in Uniondale on Saturday night. Credit: Jim Staubitser
Two passengers suffered serious head injuries in separate crashes on Long Island on Saturday night in which the drivers were allegedly intoxicated, police said.
Jessilyn Johnson, 26, of Medford was a passenger on an ATV at 8 p.m. on Bellport Avenue between Louise and Hampton avenues in Brookhaven, when the vehicle overturned causing Johnson to strike her head on the pavement, Suffolk County police said. She was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital with critical injuries, according to a news release from the Suffolk County Police Department.
The driver of the ATV, Tayquan Mayodunmore, 29, of Bellport, was charged with driving while intoxicated, first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and second-degree reckless endangerment. He was treated for minor injuries at Long Island Community Hospital in Patchogue.
Mayodunmore was arraigned in Suffolk First District Court in Central Islip on Sunday where bail was set at $100,000 bond or $50,000 cash, according to court records. His next court date is Friday.
"Numerous witnesses establish that Mr. Mayodunmore was a passenger when law enforcement engaged in a high-speed chase that resulted in the driver losing control of the vehicle," said Toni Marie Angeli, Mayodunmore's attorney. "Although wrongly charged, Mr. Mayodunmore's primary concern is the driver's recovery."
About 10 p.m. Saturday, a 60-year-old male pedestrian was struck by a 2018 Mercedes-Benz sedan on Front Street near New York Avenue in Uniondale, Nassau County police said. The pedestrian, who was not identified, was transported to a hospital in critical condition with head trauma, police said in a news release.
The driver of the Mercedes, Eric Wheatley, 44, of Uniondale, was charged with second-degree vehicular assault and driving while intoxicated, police said.
Wheatley was arraigned in Nassau First District Court in Hempstead and released without bail, court records said. His next court date is Friday.
Wheatley's attorney, Timothy David Albridge, said Sunday evening that his client's "preliminary breath test result at the scene was below the minimum legal limit required to sustain a [driving while intoxicated] charge."
"This incident was nothing more than a traffic accident, not a crime," Albridge said.
Wheatley's license was returned when he was released from court today, he added.
With Brianne Ledda
Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.
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