Crime & Safety

Port Chester Man Charged With Felony DWI After Accident

Police: Three children in car, none in safety seats. No one injured in accident witnessed by police chief.

A Port Chester man is charged with felony drunken driving after an accident witnessed by the Port Chester police chief Tuesday morning on William Street, according to Port Chester police.

No one was injured in the accident, but police said Felipe Bravo-Garcia, 30, of 244 William St., faces an assortment of charges because his driver's license had been suspended from of a previous incident and there were three young children in his car at the time of Monday's accident — with none of the children in safety seats.

Police Chief Joseph Krzeminski was driving on William Street at 8:48 a.m. Monday when he saw a 1999 Nissan Pathfinder become involved in a two-car accident. The Nissan, however, did not stop after the accident and police said Krzeminski followed the Pathfinder and pulled the car over.

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Police said Krzeminski could smell alcohol on the driver, Bravo-Garcia, and he called for Port Chester patrol officers to come to William Street. Village officers took over from Krzeminski and found that Bravo-Garcia was intoxicated, police said.

In the car with Bravo-Garcia, police said, were his wife and three children ages 5, 2 and 7 days. Police said Bravo-Garcia, in addition to being charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, was charged with felony driving while intoxicated as a violation of New York State's Leandra's Law — which increases penalties for DWI incidents in which children are in the vehicle.

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Bravo-Garcia was also cited for not having any of the children in safety seats, and police found that Bravo-Gracia's driver's license had been suspended in March in connection with a driving while ability impaired by drugs incident, police said. That led to another felony charge, first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Bravo-Garcia was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident.

Police said the driver of the other car involved in the accident did stop after the accident and did call police to report the accident. Bravo-Garcia was being held at Port Chester police headquarters Tuesday pending arraignment in Port Chester Village Court.


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