A 42-year-old Guatemalan national was convicted after a Suffolk County jury found him guilty in what prosecutors said was his fourth DWI case within 10 years.
Walter Danilo Perez Sanchez was found guilty May 27 of aggravated driving while intoxicated and related charges after prosecutors said he drove with a blood alcohol concentration of .22%, nearly three times the legal limit.
The case began March 20, 2025, when a witness called 911 to report three men fighting in a parking lot on New York Avenue in Huntington Station, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney’s office.
When Suffolk County police arrived, prosecutors said the investigation shifted to a DWI case after officers determined Perez Sanchez had driven a silver Toyota RAV4 into the parking lot while intoxicated.
Officers reported that Perez Sanchez had the odor of alcohol on his breath, bloodshot and glassy eyes, slurred speech and was unsteady on his feet. Prosecutors said he also performed poorly on standardized field sobriety tests.
Perez Sanchez was taken to Huntington Hospital, where he consented to a blood test that showed a BAC of .22%, according to prosecutors.
He was convicted of aggravated driving while intoxicated and driving while intoxicated, both Class D felonies; unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, an unclassified misdemeanor; and circumventing an interlock device, a Class A misdemeanor.
Prosecutors said Perez Sanchez had prior DWI convictions in 2019, 2023 and 2024.
After the verdict, prosecutors asked that Perez Sanchez be remanded into custody. The court denied the request and allowed him to remain released pending sentencing.
He is due back in court July 27 and faces up to 2⅓ to 7 years in prison.
Photo: SCDA
