A Shirley man was arrested by Riverhead Police on a felony DWI charge under Leandra’s Law early Sunday morning, police said in a press release.
Tony Garcia-Rivera, 25, the operator of a 2012 GMC Acadia, was stopped on East Main Street near East Avenue at approximately 12:45 a.m., and found to be intoxicated, Riverhead Town Police said in a press release.
Police said Garcia-Rivera had a 15-year-old female passenger.
Garcia-Rivera was subsequently arrested and charged with Driving While Intoxicated, in violation of Leandra’s Law, and one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. He was processed and held for morning arraignment, police said.
Leandra’s Law, also known as the Child Passenger Protection Act, enacted in 2009, is named for 11-year-old Leandra Rosado, of the Bronx, who was killed in October 2009 in a crash on the Henry Hudson Parkway in Manhattan. Leandra was one of seven children in the vehicle operated by a drunk driver. The operator of the vehicle was subsequently convicted of second-degree manslaughter and sentenced to 4 to 12 years in prison.
Driving while intoxicated or impaired with a passenger under age 16 is a Class E Felony, a crime punishable by 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison.
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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