Cops: Driver charged with DWI after wrong-way crash in Huntington Station
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.
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John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
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Newsday Live Music Series: Long Island Idols Newsday Live presents a special evening of music and conversation with local singers who grabbed the national spotlight on shows like "The Voice," "America's Got Talent,""The X-Factor" and "American Idol." Newsday Senior Lifestyle Host Elisa DiStefano leads a discussion and audience Q&A as the singers discuss their TV experiences, careers and perform original songs.
