Latest news with #DWI
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Franklin man accused of wrong-way driving on I-93 in Northfield
A Franklin man is facing charges of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon and driving while intoxicated after allegedly driving the wrong way on Interstate 93 in Northfield early Saturday morning. Authorities received multiple reports around 2:30 a.m. of a vehicle driving at high speed south in the northbound lanes of I-93 in Tilton, State Police said in a news release Saturday morning. Troopers responded and found a 2000 Toyota Camry stopped in the left-hand lane in Northfield, just north of the Canterbury town line, officials said. Brendon L. Angus, 25, of Franklin Brendon L. Angus The driver, identified as Brendon L. Angus, 25, of Franklin, was taken into custody after a roadside investigation, according to police. He was booked and taken to Merrimack County Jail, where he was held pending arraignment in Concord District Court on the felony charge of reckless conduct and misdemeanor DWI. Anyone who witnessed a vehicle traveling the wrong way on I-93, or who has information on the investigation can contact Trooper Noah Gooch at 603-223-4381 or
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Spring Valley, N.Y. man arraigned for crash that killed 4-year-old girl on sidewalk with family
The man arrested for a fatal crash in Spring Valley, New York that killed a 4-year-old girl and severely injured three of her family members pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. Axel Lopez-Santiago wore an orange jumpsuit to his court appearance Friday in Rockland County after being charged with DWI and aggravated vehicular homicide in the death of 4-year-old Goldy Eisenbach. Goldy Eisenbach Eisenbach Family Police said Lopez-Santiago, 41, was drunk behind the wheel during the June 14 crash on Old Nyack Turnpike, where the girl and her family were struck on a sidewalk while leaving Kennedy Park. He suddenly veered across the double yellow line and struck at least four people before crashing into a tree, investigators said. He also faces second degree manslaughter, assault and reckless driving charges. "Insane, traumatic and horrific scene" Lopez-Santiago sat in a wheelchair as prosecutors said his blood alcohol content was .19 -- more than twice New York's legal limit -- two hours after the crash. Police said Lopez-Santiago struck four members of Yisroel Eisenbach's family, including Goldy, his daughter. "It looked literally like a bomb. I see a stroller on end, a yarmulke, the wheel of the stroller on the other end, and the car between a gate and a tree. It literally looked like a bomb and I didn't know what happened," Eisenbach's said. "EMTs showed up. They are first on the scene. There are bodies everywhere. It is an insane, traumatic and horrific scene." "He destroyed many, many, many families," said Moishe Eisenbach. 3 crash victims, including 2 children, seriously injured Three of the people struck in the crash, including two other children, survived with serious injuries. An injured adult, named Abraham, remained hospitalized in critical condition with an array of broken bones. Abraham's wife, Trana Loeffler, was on the sidewalk the night of the crash, but not struck. She said seeing the suspect in court brought her to peace. "I had to see him in cuffs to be able to get him out of my face, out of my mind, o be able to sleep better at night, because I'm so scared of him. Now I see that he is in jail and he's not getting any bail, I'm more relieved," Loeffler said. Goldy Eisenbach Eisenbach Family Eisenbach said his daughter "always wanted to be a peacemaker, always had a smile on her face, and always wanted to make others smile." "It's not easy losing a loved one, especially a tragic incident like that," he said. Lopez-Santiago is due back in court July 19. contributed to this report.
Wall Street Journal
2 days ago
- Wall Street Journal
Can the U.S. Make Drunk Driving Disappear?
'How to Get Away With Drunk Driving in the Hamptons' (WSJ. Magazine, June/July) glamorizes a justice system bent by wealth and access at a time when fatalities and injuries related to driving while intoxicated continue to devastate families. Edward Burke Jr.'s ability to reduce DWI charges to mere traffic tickets for celebrities and moguls also underscores a deeper systemic issue: While everyday citizens face license suspension, jail time or lifelong records for similar offenses, those with enough cash to afford 'country lawyering' get special treatment. Privilege may buy legal escape, but impaired driving doesn't check bank accounts. Its consequences hit rich and poor alike. Drunk driving injures or kills someone every 85 seconds, with related deaths up 22% since 2019. Through advocacy, policy and emerging technology, we have the power to end impaired driving for good. Congress passed the bipartisan HALT Drunk Driving Law in 2021, requiring federal regulation for anti-drunk driving technology to be included by automakers in all new vehicles—the same way cars come equipped with seatbelts and airbags today. When implemented, this innovation could prevent 10,000 deaths a year.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
New Mexico Supreme Court orders a pause in the trial for two former firefighters accused of rape
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The rape trial against two former Albuquerque firefighters was scheduled to last all week, but has now been put on pause while the New Mexico Supreme Court determines whether the charges against them are valid. Aden Heyman and Anthony Martin are accused of sexually abusing a woman while off duty at a party. Story continues below Trending: Consulting company hired to create plan to redevelop New Mexico State Fairgrounds KRQE Investigates: Former APD officer tied to DWI scandal now working in Durango KRQE Investigates: 'DWI King' cashing in while his cases crumble Entertainment: Why is New Mexico a Netflix production hub? Investigators said Heyman, Martin and another former firefighter, Angel Portillo, took turns raping the woman in Martin's home before she escaped out of a window. Wednesday morning, Judge Britt Baca informed the court about the supreme court's decision. The jury has been put in recess until Friday, but as of now there is no mistrial. The supreme court is reviewing a claim by the defense, alleging the grand jury that indicted the defendants, did so based on flawed instructions by the state. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
‘DWI King' cashing in while his cases crumble
LOS LUNAS, N.M. (KRQE) – He was known as the 'DWI King,' making hundreds of drunk driving arrests for the state's largest police force, before his name was connected to the ongoing federal DWI corruption investigation. KRQE Investigative Reporter Gabrielle Burkhart reveals how this is impacting recent drunk driving cases, and how much the officer is getting paid to stay off the force. Latest from KRQE Investigates Former APD officer tied to DWI scandal now working in Durango 'DWI King' cashing in while his cases crumble Behind The Story: Kids Sleeping In CYFD Offices 8th officer pleads guilty for role in DWI Unit scandal KRQE Investigates: Can CYFD finally end kids sleeping in offices? New Mexico State Police Sergeant Toby Lafave is known for cracking down on drunk driving in New Mexico. 'I love this uniform, I like serving the public,' he told KRQE News 13 during a 2019 interview. Lafave held a long reputation for holding people accountable. His own dash and lapel police cameras capture his hundreds of arrests over the years. The so-called 'DWI King' joined the force more than 20 years ago, and was featured on billboards for the state's 'ENDWI' campaign. 'By the time someone is arrested for DWI, it's not usually their first time,' explained Barbara Romo, District Attorney for the 13th Judicial District. 'It's just the first time they get caught, right?' The idea that Lafave was a straight shooter — one who upheld the law and kept the streets safer — made it all the more shocking when his name got tied to the ongoing federal investigation into the state's biggest DWI corruption scandal. It's a scheme involving officers working with a now-disgraced defense attorney, accepting cash to get DWI cases dismissed. Thomas Clear III and his paralegal, Ricardo 'Rick' Mendez, have since pleaded guilty in federal court to RICO conspiracy charges. Lafave's name was placed on the Bernalillo County District Attorney's 'Giglio list' in February, joining more than a dozen other law enforcement officers who are no longer considered credible witnesses in court. It's part of the pending federal investigation into officers participating in the corruption scheme. 'If you're betrayed by a stranger, it's like, well, that's that person – what can you do?' Romo explained. 'But then it starts getting, it hurts a lot more. It stabs you a little bit deeper when it's someone that you should be able to trust with these cases,' she added. DA Romo is responsible for prosecuting cases in Cibola, Valencia, and Sandoval counties. But without an arresting officer's testimony, a conviction, especially in a DWI case, isn't possible. 'We can't prosecute any of his cases where he's the primary officer,' Romo explained. 'I've been doing this a long time, so you think that you've seen it all, but then something like this happens and you realize that you haven't,' New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler told KRQE in a February interview. Chief Weisler said he got a call from the FBI and immediately placed Lafave on administrative leave on February 13th. The pending cases Lafave handled were automatically dismissed in court, with no consequences for the accused. 'I've never been to jail, please, sir! Please!' One driver pleaded with Lafave during her DWI arrest in December. The woman admitted to drinking and driving, confessing to her arresting officer, Sgt. Lafave, 'I drink sending my kids to school.' She's heard on lapel video telling the Sgt., 'I need to contact my father because honestly, he's probably super mad at me.' Lafave replied, 'At least you're alive, you know?' What could have been a harsh lesson for that young mom is now a lucky break. It's a similar story again and again. 'I'd rather you be late for curfew than me scrape your body off the roadway because someone chose to drive drunk,' Lafave is heard on lapel video telling young passengers during a recent DWI stop. Dozens of Lafave's most recent encounters with apparent drunk drivers – many of them young – now amount to dozens of free passes in court. In one traffic stop, Sgt. Lafave made in September, he asked the young driver how old she was. 'I'm 19,' she replied. 'I was trying to catch up to you,' Lafave told her. 'You actually reached a speed of 98 miles an hour.' The teenage driver he stopped from flying on the freeway around 4 a.m. that day is seen on lapel video failing field sobriety tests. Below is a transcript from a portion of her field sobriety test administered by Lafave, as he attempts to have her recite a portion of the alphabet: Lafave: Starting with the letter H as in Henry, stopping at the letter R as in driver: I can't do You can't do that test? Why not?Teen driver: Wait, H?Lafave: start at H and stop at driver: I can' Why not?Teen driver: I've never had to count backwards by Okay. One, you're not counting. You are reciting the alphabet forward. Lafave arrested the 19-year-old for DWI. While handcuffed in the backseat, the teenage driver gives Lafave attitude. 'It's gonna automatically get duh-missed,' she shouted from the backseat. 'Duh-missed?' He replied. 'I ain't gonna get charged with s***!' She told Lafave, while calling him names during the remainder of her arrest. As fate would have it, she was right. Her case was dismissed this year, but not because she proved to anyone that she wasn't driving drunk that night. It's a glimpse of the nearly 40 pending DWI cases prosecutors were forced to drop due to Lafave losing credibility. Hers is among the seven case dismissals that reach beyond the metro. 'Yeah, it doesn't send a good message,' explained DA Romo. 'But by the same token, I can honestly say that the vast, vast majority of law enforcement officers I've worked with across the state, they're out there doing their job, and I guarantee you they hate this more than anybody,' she added. Lafave is still on administrative leave pending the federal and now internal investigation by New Mexico State Police. KRQE Investigates confirmed through public records that Sergeant Lafave is still making a full $54-an-hour paycheck while on leave. That amounts to Lafave getting paid more than $39,000 and counting to stay off the streets. And while the public has seen at least seven officers criminally charged in the scheme, the feds so far have not charged Lafave. His long-standing crusade against drunk drivers is now clouded with questions about his own conduct. In Bernalillo County, the District Attorney's Office was forced to dismiss nearly 300 DWI cases as a result of officers losing credibility in court. New Mexico State Police tells KRQE their internal investigation into Lafave is still ongoing. While DA Romo was forced to dismiss pending cases involving Lafave, she said she will not be going back through adjudicated cases handled by compromised officers. That is, unless a defense attorney files a motion to do so. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
