Cops: Man Admitted To Codeine Use, Had Kids In The Car During DWI Stop
ROOSEVELT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- State police claim a Long Island man was so drunk that his blood alcohol level was more than four times the legal limit when they pulled him over.
The driver faces upgraded charges under Leandra's Law because he allegedly drove drunk with his three young children in the vehicle.
The law is named for a young girl was killed in a 2009 drunk driving crash.
Family members of 30-year-old Tanya Radzwa Munyor dashed away from the cameras inside first district court following the Nassau County man's arraignment.
State police said they pulled Munyoro over just before 7 p.m. Sunday.
The trooper who pulled him over on the Southern State Parkway said Munyoro suddenly veered into the trooper's lane, nearly striking his vehicle.
In court documents, the trooper charged that Munyoro's blood alcohol then tested at .35, more than four times the legal limit. The trooper quoted Munyoro as saying, "I drank some vodka."
He also allegedly said, "I took some codeine," and "I promise I won't drink and drive again if you just give me a beer ticket."
Instead, the trooper charged Munyoro with a felony violation of Leandra's Law, alleging he drove drunk with his three young sons -- aged 4, 6, and 8 sitting in the back seat with one not wearing a seatbelt.
A neighbor said the young boys are okay, but called the alleged drunk driving insane.
"A parent of three children should be more responsible, more diligent. I'm a parent of an 8-month-old, I wouldn't want to carry my son out on the street like that," she told CBS2's Ali Bauman.
In court Munyoro's mother would not answer questions. Bail was set at $20,000.