Accused drunken driver indicted in high-speed crash that killed 29-year-old man 

The driver in a high-speed crash that killed a man sitting in a parked car last May in Hempstead has been indicted on a slew of charges that include causing a death and injuries while driving drunk, Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced Monday.

Authorities said Tasha Brown, 28, of Uniondale, was arraigned Friday before Judge Howard Sturim and charged with two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, counts of manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter, multiple counts of vehicular assault, drunken driving and reckless driving.

Nassau County police said Brown was driving a 2016 Toyota Corolla with three passengers in the car when she struck multiple cars parked on the westbound side of Front Street in Hempstead, near Hendrickson Avenue, on May 29 at about 4:35 a.m. All four people in the Toyota were injured, two seriously, police said.

Nelson Fuentes, 29, of Massapequa, was sitting in a parked 2010 Toyota Corolla that was hit in the crash. He was pronounced dead about an hour later at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, authorities said.

Brown was arrested by detectives from the Hempstead Police Department and the Nassau Police Homicide Squad.

The indictment against her was returned March 17, according to records. Brown pleaded not guilty and records show she remained free on $100,000 bond. She is due back in court May 10. If convicted Brown faces up to 25 years in prison.

"Tasha is a 28-year-old single mother with no prior record," her defense attorney, William J. Kephart, of Garden City, said Monday. "This is obviously a horrific incident and we're going to go through the process and see if we can reach an agreement that makes sense for all parties." 

The District Attorney's Office said in a statement Monday that authorities believe Brown was driving at more than 90 mph when her car "veered off the roadway" and struck the parked cars.

“This defendant was allegedly so intoxicated that she was unable to keep her vehicle on the road, veering and crashing into multiple parked cars at more than 90 mph, including one occupied by 29-year-old Nelson Fuentes who was tragically killed as a result of the collision," Donnelly said in a statement released Monday.

She added: "Brown’s passengers also sustained serious injuries in the crash and thankfully recovered. Anyone can become a victim of drunken driving. It is imperative that we aggressively prosecute these cases to keep our roadways safe. ”

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”