Cops: Wrong-way driver faces DWI charge

A Medford man is facing drunken-driving and other charges after police say he drove the wrong way on the Long Island Expressway, forcing motorists to "swerve out of the path."

Two weeks after being sentenced in another DWI case, Warren Levine, 62, drove his Honda west in the eastbound lanes of the LIE for about a mile Wednesday night, Suffolk police said.

Levine entered the expressway at the Horseblock Road exit and went the wrong direction until officers stopped him at Route 112 in Medford, according to police.

He was arraigned Thursday on charges of driving while intoxicated, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, reckless endangerment and reckless driving. He was held on bail of $60,000 cash or $120,000 bond.

Levine told police he is a psychotherapist in Center Moriches and had three vodka drinks at a restaurant before the incident, said Bob Clifford, spokesman for the Suffolk district attorney's office.

It was Levine's third DWI arrest since 2008, court records show. On Sept. 26, he was sentenced in Suffolk to 5 years' probation after pleading guilty to a May 2012 DWI, Clifford said.

Defense attorney Bill LaVelle of Patchogue said Levine is a social worker struggling with personal issues. "It's unfortunate. He's a good, hardworking guy."

JoAnn Galloway of Manor Park said she has been separated from her husband since his arrest last year and has been urging him to get help for his drinking problem.

"He's a good person, and he has a good heart," she said. "He just needs help."

She said Levine started probation last week, promising her he wasn't going to drink anymore.