3 Caught Drunk Driving In Southeast Over St. Patrick’s Day Weekend: Sheriff
Deputies arrested three drivers for DWI in Putnam County over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday weekend, authorities said.
The arrests took place in Southeast between Sunday, March 16, and Monday, March 17, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office announced on Wednesday, March 19.
Felony DWI Arrest
The first arrest happened on Saturday, March 16, around 1 a.m., when a deputy on Route 22 spotted a vehicle swerving out of its lane and running a red light. The driver, identified as Dutchess County man Jacob T. Westcott, 24, of Dover Plains, was found to be intoxicated and failed field sobriety tes…
Drunken, Cocaine-Fueled Crash Killed Westbury Bicyclist, Hicksville Man Indicted: DA
A Long Island man was drunk, high on cocaine, and speeding when he fatally struck a bicyclist in Westbury—then kept driving until a flat tire forced him to stop, prosecutors announced on Tuesday, March 18.
Wilfredo Blanco Molina, 41, of Hicksville, was indicted on charges including aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a fatal crash, Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said.
Molina had a blood alcohol content of .22—more than twice the legal limit—when he plowed into 69-year-old Robert McCarthy on Old Country Road near State Street arou…
Drunk Driver Admits Causing Deadly 7-Car Crash In Riverhead That Injured Several Others
A Riverhead man formally confessed to causing a drunken, seven-car pileup that killed his passenger and seriously injured several others.
Cristian Mendoza-Baquiax, 37, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, March 11.
Mendoza-Baquiax admitted that he was driving drunk on County Road 105 in Riverhead on the evening of Aug. 7, 2024, when he sped around another car, swerved into oncoming traffic, and crashed into several vehicles.
His passenger, 33-year-old Nelson Reyes-Muxin, was killed in the collision. Another passenger in his…
DUI Driver Wrecks Dodge Challenger In Spotsy, Lands Behind Bars: Sheriff
A King George man who thought he could handle his Dodge Challenger and a few drinks learned the hard way that the road had other plans, officials said.
Deputies with the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office responded to a crash near Benchmark Road and Mine Road after receiving reports of a wreck overnight, according to the agency.
When Deputy Crystal Cabrera arrived, she found 55-year-old Charles Funkhouser, whose slurred speech, glassy eyes, and strong odor of alcohol made it clear he wasn’t just a bad driver—he was allegedly a drunk one, too.
Funkhouser, of King George, was arrested at the…
Juveniles ‘Playing Pranks’ Killed Federally Convicted Bank Robber: Lancaster DA
Two juveniles who were "playing pranks" on Matthew Hill, a federally convicted bank robber, fatally stabbed him during a struggle inside a Lancaster home, but no charges will be filed, the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday, March 6.
Hill, 40, was stabbed in the chest during an altercation inside a home on the first block of West Farnum Street on Jan. 24, according to prosecutors. Investigators determined the stabbing was accidental, and the juvenile responsible will not face charges, authorities said.
Hill had been drinking at a bar earlier that evening an…
