2 women charged in separate Leandra’s Law cases, cops say
A Bronx woman faces a Leandra's Law charge after getting into an accident Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, in Yaphank with two children in her car, police said. Credit: T.J. Lambui
Two women, one from the Bronx and another from Bellport, face Leandra’s Law charges after police said they separately drove cars while intoxicated and crashed Sunday night — with young children in tow.
State Police said Holly Herlich, 27, of Bellport, was driving a Hyundai Elantra with two children, ages 8 and 1, as passengers when the vehicle rolled over along the Southern State Parkway in Babylon near Exit 39 about 9:40 p.m. Herlich was standing outside the vehicle with the children when police arrived and detected the scent of alcohol on her breath, police said.
Police said Herlich then failed a sobriety test. She and the 8-year-old child were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip for treatment of minor injuries, police said. Her relationship to the children was not clear.
Herlich was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated under Leandra’s Law, endangering the welfare of a child and traffic violations, police said.
She was issued an appearance ticket and must return to First District Court in Central Islip on Friday.
Her attorney could not be reached for comment.
Two hours before that crash, Suffolk police said, Alicia Hess, 24, of the Bronx was driving a 2006 Nissan when she struck a 2009 Kia on Main Street at Yaphank Avenue in Yaphank.
She had two children, ages 7 and 2, in the car at the time of the 7:35 p.m. accident, police said, adding their relationship to Hess was not known. There were no serious injuries.
Hess was scheduled for arraignment Monday in First District Court in Central Islip on charges of aggravated driving while intoxicated under Leandra’s Law, endangering the welfare of a child and traffic law violations. The outcome of the proceeding was unclear Monday evening.
Her attorney could not be reached for comment.
Leandra’s Law is named for Leandra Rosado, 11, who was killed in an October 2009 DWI crash in which the car she was in, driven by the mother of a friend, overturned on the Henry Hudson Parkway in Manhattan.
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