Long Beach Woman Convicted of Aggravated DWI; BAC Reading Was .28%

Torres convicted of third alcohol-related driving offense

MINEOLA, NY - Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced today that a Long Beach woman has been convicted of her third alcohol-related driving offense after a jury found her guilty Monday afternoon of crashing into two parked cars last December. Tests showed the woman had a blood-alcohol content of more than three times the legal limit.

It took a jury two hours to convict Manuela Torres, 56, of Aggravated DWI and Leaving the Scene of an Accident. Nassau County Court Judge Philip Grella presided over the trial and will sentence Torres January 19. She faces up to four years in prison.

Rice said that at approximately 3:30 a.m. on December 7, 2009, Torres was driving eastbound on West Beech Street after spending the night drinking in the West End when she crashed into two parked cars. When the vehicles’ owner came out of his house, Torres attempted to flee the scene. The owner of the vehicles was able to reach into Torres’s vehicle, shift the car into park, and remove the keys before Torres could drive away.

Torres then exited the vehicle and began walking eastbound on West Beech Street before being arrested a few minutes later. Her blood-alcohol content at the time of her arrest was .28%, more than three times the legal limit.

“My office will continue to bring felony charges against the worst of the worst drunk drivers until every motorist understands the tragic consequences that are inevitable when people drink too much and get behind the wheel of a car,” Rice said.

Assistant District Attorneys Ryan McAllister and Michael Reiner of the County Court Trial Bureau are handling the cases for the District Attorney's Office. Torres is represented by Ronald Meltzer, Esq.