A Wading River man arrested for driving while impaired by drugs after a fatal crash on Sunrise Highway in East Quogue earlier this month has been indicted by a Suffolk County grand jury on multiple felony charges.
George Hackett, 52, was indicted for Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting, Driving While Impaired by Drugs, and other related charges following a high-speed crash on Sunrise Highway June 8 that caused the death of Franklin Blake, 82, of Queens, District Attorney Ray Tierney announced yesterday.
On June 8, Hackett was operating a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe eastbound on Sunrise Highway at a high rate of speed at about 3:30 a.m. when he struck the rear end of an eastbound 2010 Nissan Armada operated by the Blake, according to police and prosecutors. Blake’s car was thrown into the woods, and he died as a result of the injuries he sustained, prosecutors said.
Hackett’s vehicle rolled over but landed upright, and he continued driving eastbound on Sunrise Highway until his car broke down less than a mile east of the crash site, according to a press release issued by the district attorney. Hackett was found more than a mile away from his vehicle, walking on Route 24 in Flanders, the release said.
Hackett was arraigned yesterday in Suffolk County Criminal Court on charges of:
- Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, a Class B felony;
- Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class C felony;
- Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class D felony;
- Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting, a Class D felony;
- Assault in the Second Degree, a Class D violent felony;
- Driving While Impaired by the Combined Influence of Drugs, a Class D felony;
- Two counts of Driving While Impaired by Drugs, a Class D felony;
- Circumventing an Ignition Interlock Device, a Class A misdemeanor; and
- Reckless Driving, an Unclassified misdemeanor.
Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven Pilewski set bail in the amount of $1 million cash, $2 million bond, or $10 million partially secured bond. He is due back in court July 26.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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