Crash is latest trouble for parolee

John Licausi should not have been driving at all, let

alone driving while high on drugs, law enforcement officials said of the man

charged with leading Suffolk police on a high-speed chase that ended in a crash

and the death of a father of three.

Licausi, of Riverhead, was on parole for burglary and forgery, and was in

apparent violation of his parole, officials said Friday. At the time of the

crash Thursday, he was not supposed to be driving and was enrolled in an

alcohol and substance abuse treatment program. Indeed, a warrant was issued for

Licausi's arrest on May 6 - two days before the crash - on a charge of petit

larceny.

It wasn't the only time in recent weeks Licausi, 48, was in trouble with

the law. On April 19, a Suffolk landscaper gave police a written statement

saying Licausi had broken into a work trailer and stolen two leaf blowers,

court records show. Licausi had also allegedly broken into a Smithtown deli and

stolen a meat slicer, the records show. Friday, the day after his arrest after

the crash, parole officers issued a warrant for his arrest.

Those details emerged Friday as Licausi, who has a criminal record

stretching back decades, was arraigned in First District Court in Central Islip

on charges related to the crash. He pleaded not guilty to second-degree

assault, driving while under the influence of drugs, reckless endangerment and

two counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. Judge John

Iliou held Licausi on bail of $250,000 cash or $320,000 bond. He faces a

maximum of 7 years in prison if convicted of assault.

Prosecutor Sharon Goldstein-Gitter said more charges are likely after a

grand jury meets to hear evidence next week.

In Thursday's crash, Licausi fled from police and ran two red lights after

a burglary, Goldstein-Gitter said, crashing his sport utility vehicle into

Scott Foster's Toyota Camry in Medford. Foster, 46, a salesman from Manorville,

died of his injuries half an hour later.

Appearing in court in a wheelchair because of injuries he sustained in the

crash, Licausi's arms were swollen and bruised. Licausi was high on drugs at

the time of the crash, Goldstein-Gitter said, citing a drug recognition

expert's report in which Licausi said he "snorts coke and sometimes smokes it."

The report, filed in court records, also quotes him saying: "I had a

relapse about a week ago. . . . I did about $100 worth, you know, about a gram."

At the arraignment, Iliou suspended Licausi's driver's license, citing his

refusal to take a Breathalyzer test after his arrest. A test of blood drawn by

court order is pending, said Goldstein-Gitter.

Licausi's arrest history dates back to 1989, when he was charged with drug

possession, records show. He pleaded guilty to that misdemeanor and served 30

days in jail.

His arrests became more serious in nature, with eight felony convictions

for burglary and five convictions for drug-related offenses, including driving

while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

"A guy like this gets a lot of chances," said John Desmond, director of the

Suffolk Probation Department. "At any point, he could have gotten serious

about sobriety and never did."