Man Accused of Drunk Driving Faces Felony
Posted By
Karen on Jul 18, 2010 6:00am PDT
White Plains - Police said Felix Zaruma, 41, Danbury, Conn., was arrested Tuesday after being seen driving errratically, stopping the car and letting his 15-year-old son take the wheel. He then failed a sobriety test.
Zaruma was observed driving a 2003 Lincoln Town Car erratically on the northbound Hutchinson River Parkway. An officer saw Zaruma pull his vehicle over onto the left shoulder and switch places with the front-seat passenger, police said. When the officer approached the vehicle, he discovered that the driver was Zaruma's 15-year-old son, police said. The boy reportedly said that he asked his father to drive because he was afraid Zaruma would fall asleep behind the wheel, police said.
Zaruma failed a sobriety test and was placed under arrest. The boy was released to his mother's custody, police said.
The suspect was charged under Leandra's Law, which makes a DWI charge a felony when a child of 15 years or younger is in the car.
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Defense for DWI, Drunk Driving and Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs in Westchester County, New York
DWI (driving while intoxicated) is a serious criminal offense in New York. Most often, this is charged as a misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment in county jail of up to one year (along with driver's license suspension and fines.) However, DWI may also be charged as a felony. In these cases, the driver may face years of imprisonment in a state correctional facility. Whether you or a loved one has been charged with a first time DWI or if this is an arrest for a second, third, or subsequent offense, you will need aggressive legal counsel as soon as possible.
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