Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced the indictment of Brian Sloan, 57, a civilian mechanic employed by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, for allegedly leaving the scene of a crash involving his county owned vehicle and then falsely reporting that he had been involved in a one-car motor vehicle crash.
“This defendant is alleged to have fled the scene of a motor vehicle crash that injured another driver, and then compounded that conduct by allegedly filing false documents with the Sheriff’s Office in an effort to conceal what he had done,” said District Attorney Tierney. “My Office is committed to the principle that no one is above the law, including government employees. I thank the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office for their cooperation and professionalism in referring this matter to us for investigation and for their assistance throughout the entirety of this investigation.”
“No one is above the law and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office has zero-tolerance for criminal behavior,” said Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. “Thank you to the District Attorney’s Office for working with us to investigate this incident and uncover the truth.”
According to the investigation, on December 23, 2022, Sloan was operating a Ford F-250 pickup truck owned by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office on Patchogue Yaphank Road in Patchogue when he drove through a red traffic light and crashed into a sedan which had been making a lawful left-hand turn. The collision caused injuries to the sedan’s driver and totaled the vehicle. Sloan then allegedly fled the scene without stopping or exchanging documentation. The driver of the sedan was taken by ambulance to Long Island Community Hospital for treatment. An off-duty New York City police officer who witnessed the crash followed the F-250 from the scene and recorded its license plate number.
It is alleged that Sloan later falsely reported to the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office that he had been involved in a one-car motor vehicle crash. Sloan allegedly completed, signed, and submitted two separate documents to the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office indicating that on December 23, 2022, the County-owned F-250 he was operating traveled over an icy roadway, which resulted in his collision with a guardrail at a different location in Patchogue, approximately two miles from the actual crash location.
Sloan is charged with:
- Leaving the Scene of an Incident with Personal Injury Without Reporting, a class E felony;
- Two counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, a class E felony;
- Two counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a class E felony; and
- Two counts of Official Misconduct, a class A misdemeanor.
Sloan surrendered to the District Attorney’s Office this morning and he was arraigned by County Court Judge, the Honorable Steven A. Pilewski. Under current New York State law, the offenses with which the defendant is charged are non-bail eligible, and therefore he was released on his own recognizance. Sloan is being represented by John Loturco, Esq. He is due back in court on April 26, 2023.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Katharine R. D’Aquila of the Public Corruption Bureau.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.