Car assault charge for Franklin Square woman

A Franklin Square woman has been charged with intentionally hitting another woman with her car, but her attorney said Tuesday his client is innocent and that the woman injured during the incident jumped out of the vehicle while it was in motion.

Melanie Spanopoulos, 20, was arraigned Tuesday in Hempstead First District Court on a charge of first-degree assault. She intentionally drove her car into a woman with whom she was fighting Monday in Elmont and then backed up and hit her a second time, Nassau County police said.

During the arraignment, a prosecutor said the woman injured remained in the hospital Tuesday with a broken pelvis, broken leg and several other injuries.

Dennis Lemke, a Mineola attorney who represented Spanopoulos at the hearing, said the woman injured in the incident is Spanopoulos' cousin.

"The evidence will show that she went to get out of the car while it was moving," Lemke said outside the courtroom. "She was not run over by my client."

Police did not identify the woman or comment on the relationship between the two women.

Spanopoulos was released Tuesday afternoon on $5,000 bail. She walked out of court with a family member. According to court documents, Spanopoulos was driving a gray 2002 Chevy Venture westbound on the Southern State Parkway in Elmont at about 1:30 a.m. Monday when she began arguing with her passenger. Spanopoulos then got off the parkway at Exit 13 and drove into Elmont. "The argument escalated into a physical fight, with the defendant [Spanopoulos] punching the victim and pulling her hair," records said.

Spanopoulos then pulled over to the side of a road, and the other woman got out of the car. Spanopoulos followed her on foot. Moments later, records say, Spanopoulos got back into the car and "intentionally drove in the victim's direction, striking her with the vehicle." Spanopoulos then "intentionally put the car in reverse gear and drove into the victim, again, striking her with the vehicle and causing her to fall," records said.