A 30-year-old New York woman is facing a raft of charges including counts of criminal mischief and assault after she lost control of her car and crashed into a building at John F. Kennedy International Airport on the morning of Aug. 3. Port Authority police say that the woman admitted to consuming large amounts of alcohol while attending a party the night before.
According to police, the Queens County resident lost control of her Nissan sedan after cutting off a bus near JFK Airport building 111. The woman’s car is said to have crossed a grass verge before shattering the glass doors of the National Guard facility. A National Guardsman who had been sitting at a table in the building’s lobby at the time of the crash suffered neck, knee and back injuries. Reports indicate that the man was not seriously hurt, and he was released from an area hospital the following day. Damage to the building has been estimated at $10,000.
In addition to admitting that she had been drinking before getting behind the wheel, officers claim that the woman handed them a package containing the recreational drug MDMA that she had hidden in her bra. Police say that the woman refused to submit to a breath test. The woman is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 22 to answer charges including DWI, possession of a controlled substance and driving without a valid license.
Experienced criminal defense attorneys may urge their clients to obey the instructions of police officers but make no statements or admissions unless a lawyer is present. Most drunk driving cases are settled by plea agreements, and defense attorneys may find it difficult to secure more lenient treatment for clients who have made incriminating or obnoxious statements to police officers.
