On Wednesday night a mother was arrested and charged with DWI while her seven-year-old daughter and five-year-old son were in the car. At around 10:50 p.m. the allegedly drove drunk southbound on Dix Hills Road in Huntington when she lost control of her 1998 Mercury Mystique and hit both a signpost and a tree.
During the time of the accident Laquita Brooks, 39, improperly restrained her children in the backseat. As a result her son suffered a minor head injury while her daughter’s was more serious. The young girl had to be transported to Huntington Hospital by Huntington Community First Aid Squad for her injuries.
Since the child’s injuries were more severe than had been anticipated, Brooks’ daughter was then transported to Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park for further treatment.
After the crash Second Squad detectives arrested Brooks at her Wyandanch home. She was charged under Leandra’s Law with one count of Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated with a Child 15 Years or Younger, one count of Driving While Intoxicated, and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Under Leandra’s Law, the Child Passenger Protection Act, the first offense of driving drunk with a child under the age of 15 in the vehicle is a felony.
Brooks was held overnight at the Fourth Precinct and was arraigned at the First District Court in Central Islip on Thursday.
The investigation is ongoing. Detectives ask anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact the Second Squad at 631-854-8252.
[Source: Suffolk County Police]