A 37-year-old New York woman is facing felony drunk driving and other charges following a traffic stop on Oct. 24. New York State Police reports indicate that the woman had a blood alcohol content over the legal limit at the time of the incident. State police also say that a 7-year-old child and a 3-year-old child were inside the woman’s vehicle when it was pulled over on East Main Street in the town of Verona.
A state trooper made the traffic stop after observing the eastbound 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser swerve across the roadway’s center line and enter the westbound lane. During the investigation, the trooper detected the odor of alcohol on the driver’s breath and subsequently conducted sobriety tests before taking the woman into custody.
The alleged drunk driver was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, felony aggravated DWI, and failure to keep right, among other charges. Troopers released the children to family members at the scene.
In the state of New York, driving while intoxicated is a serious matter, and a conviction on DWI charges can lead to life-changing consequences, including jail time, loss of license, fines and the requirement that an ignition interlock device be installed and maintained on the convicted driver’s vehicle. The penalties are generally increased for felony convictions. Outside of the legal arena, a convicted driver may also face the prospect of motor vehicle surcharges and higher insurance premiums.
In some situations, a criminal defense attorney may be able to mitigate the consequences of a drunk driving conviction through the negotiation of a plea deal with opposing counsel. If the defendant’s constitutional rights were violated at any point during the process, the attorney could potentially obtain a dismissal of the case.
Source: NY Upstate, “Verona woman charged with felony DWI for driving drunk with 2 children in vehicle,” Sarah Moses, Oct. 25, 2017
