Suffolk County Police last night arrested a man for Leandra’s Law for driving while under the influence of drugs with his one-year-old child in his vehicle in Bellport.
A 911 caller reported an unresponsive man in the driver’s seat of a parked 2008 Toyota Sienna, which was idling in the middle of the roadway, with a screaming infant in the vehicle at 7:33 p.m. Upon arrival of EMS personnel, Harry Penny was found to be unconscious in the driver’s seat of the vehicle with his one-year-old son in the backseat.
Fifth Precinct officers at the scene determined that Penny had been operating the vehicle under the influence of drugs and he was placed under arrest. He was transported to Long Island Community Hospital in Patchogue where he was treated and released. The child was released to a family member at the hospital.
Penny, 25, of 47 Lambert Ave., Mastic, was charged with Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated with a Child Passenger 15 Years Old or Younger (Leandra’s Law), Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
Penny will be held overnight at the Third Precinct and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on August 18.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.