Juan Martinez-Landaverde, 35, of Glen Cove, is facing Leandra’s Law charges after being indicted for a drunk driving crash with his two-year-old daughter as a passenger, Acting Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas announced Friday.
According to Singas, Martinez-Landaverde was driving southbound on Broadway near Manhattan Drive in Jericho on January 28, when, while highly intoxicated, he crashed into another car stopped at a red light.
The DA also said Martinez-Landaverde’s two-year-old daughter was unrestrained in the back seat. The male driver of the struck car suffered physical injuries resulting in an assault charge. The defendant and his daughter were uninjured.
“It is incomprehensible that a father would risk the life of his innocent two year old daughter this way,” Singas said. “The toddler was trapped, helpless and unrestrained in a car that crashed as a result of the defendant’s intoxication. The defendant’s actions put his daughter’s life in danger; thankfully fate spared her and the driver of the other car from serious injury or worse.”
Martinez-Landaverde has been charged with one felony, DWI Alcohol or Drugs with a Child, and multiple misdemeanors; including: Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated; two counts of DWI Alcohol; Endangering the Welfare of a Child; Reckless Endangerment in the 2nd Degree; Assault in the 3rd Degree and Reckless Driving.
Acting Nassau County Supreme Court Justice Patricia Harrington continued Martinez-Landaverde’s bail at $3,000 bond or $1,500 cash and he is due back in court on Aug. 12.
If convicted of the top charge, Martinez-Landaverde faces a maximum sentence of 1-1/3 to four years in prison.
