Man accused of DWI in cop crash may face more charges

The Plainview man accused of crashing his car into a cop while driving drunk could face additional charges - including for homicide - in the death of a Suffolk police officer, according to a top official in the district attorney's office.

Standing outside the Central Islip courtroom where Jose Borbon pleaded not guilty Monday to misdemeanor drunken driving, John Collins, Suffolk's chief trial prosecutor, said many aspects of Sunday's fatal collision - the speed of the vehicles, Borbon's movements that morning and his alleged intoxication, among others - were still under investigation.

But Collins said more serious charges would be considered as investigators reconstruct the crash that killed Second Precinct Officer Glen Ciano in Commack early Sunday.

"He could well be facing a homicide charge at some point in the future," Collins said.

The key to a possible homicide prosecution could be Borbon's intoxication level. His blood sample, which was obtained with a judge's warrant, was tested yesterday at the Suffolk crime laboratory. A law enforcement source said later that those results showed Borbon's blood alcohol was more than twice the legal limit of .08 percent. Borbon, 23, is scheduled to return to court Tuesday.

Dozens of officers, some in uniform but many off duty and in street clothes, began filling the hallway outside the courtroom long before Borbon's arraignment. They greeted each other with hugs and handshakes, and spoke in small groups before packing the rear rowsof the courtroom.

Borbon was driving with a conditional license after a driving while intoxicated arrest January in Nassau. Prosecutor Laura Newcombe said Monday that Borbon nearly hit a gas pump and that a breath test showed a blood-alcohol content of .15 percent.

Borbon, wearing jeans and a dark jacket, hung his head during the arraignment. His family, who filled one row of the courtroom seating, declined to comment. Borbon's attorney, William Petrillo of Rockville Centre, said his client had his family's support; he declined to comment otherwise.

Newcombe argued that the circumstances of the crash and Borbon's driving record - riddled with collisions, tickets and the previous DWI arrest - justified bail of $1 million. District Court Judge Patricia Filiberto ordered Borbon held on $75,000 cash bail.