By Karen Best

Drunk driving has been a continuous problem in our nation. New York Governor David Patterson has signed a new law to stiffen the penalty. If someone drives drunk with a passenger under the age of 15 it will be an automatic felony.  Previous to the passage of the bill, driving drunk with a child in the car was only a misdemeanor. Now, the minimum blood alcohol level will be 0.08 and will apply to first time offenders. The law also requires that anyone convicted of driving while intoxicated must install an interlock on their car. The interlock is a device that acts like a breathalyzer and disables the car if alcohol is detected on the driver’s breathe.

Leandra’s Law is named after Leandra Rosado an 11 year old girl who was killed in an accident on the West Side Highway. In October, Leandra was a passenger in a van driven by her friend’s mother. The mother is alleged to have been driving drunk when she caused the van to flip over, killing Leandra.

Leandra’s father was present when Governor Paterson signed the bill and said “I guarantee you that my daughter’s death will not be in vain.” He also added, “Today I consider this a victorious day and a glorious day-not only for me and my family but all New Yorkers”.

Having represented many well-respected, high-profile individuals over the last two decades, we can say with a great degree of certainty — anyone can be investigated, arrested, charged and prosecuted for a crime. Having read news reports, articles and magazine features on stories of innocent people for much longer, we can also say — anyone can be convicted. While we do not hold ourselves out to be a “criminal defense law firm,” many of the lawyers at our firm have experience as prosecutors. As a result, we understand prosecutorial approaches and the strategies DAs use to try and convict you. For more information, contact Leeds, Morelli and Brown, PC at 1-800-585-4658 for a free consultation.