Jamesport assistant fire chief pleads guilty in DWI case following February crash

A Jamesport Fire Department assistant chief charged with driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene in February pleaded guilty today in Southold Justice Court.

David McKillop, 55, pleaded guilty to the DWI charge in Southold Justice Court today. He was sentenced to a year of interim probation and will have the charge reduced to driving while ability impaired upon successful completion of the probationary period, according to a report in The Suffolk Times.

McKillop is currently suspended by the Jamesport Fire District Board of Commissioners, Jamesport Fire Chief John Andrejack said today. The assistant chief initially took a personal leave of absence from the department, but was subsequently suspended, the chief said.

“We are aware of the court’s action today. The board of commissioners will weigh its administrative options,” Andrejack said.

McKillop was driving a Jamesport Fire Department chief’s vehicle on Feb. 13 when his vehicle left the roadway and crashed into multiple street signs located at Route 25 and Tuckers Lane in Southold, according to police. A witness told police the vehicle left the scene westbound on Route 25. A police officer located the damaged vehicle traveling westbound on Route 25 at Wickham Avenue in Mattituck. The vehicle had severe damage to the front end and a large hole in the windshield, according to a police press release.

McKillop had been one of a group of Jamesport volunteer firefighters who marched in the George Washington’s Day parade in Greenport Village earlier on the day of the accident.

He has been a member of the Jamesport Fire Department for more than 20 years and had a “spotless record” Andrejack said in February.

At the time of his arrest, McKillop was also a longtime Riverhead High School social studies teacher and coach. He has since retired.