A Holbrook man was arrested after Suffolk County deputy sheriffs allegedly found him driving intoxicated on the Long Island Expressway with a 7-month-old child improperly secured in the front passenger seat.
Carlos Moncada Padilla, 44, was arrested at about 10:45 p.m. Sunday, July 19, after deputies stopped a 2013 Dodge Ram traveling west near Exit 65 in Patchogue, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies said the pickup repeatedly crossed lane markings and failed to remain in its lane.
During the traffic stop, Moncada Padilla allegedly had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, unsteady movements and the smell of alcohol on his breath. When deputies asked how much alcohol he had consumed, he reportedly answered, “Two beers.”
Authorities said five open glass bottles of Modelo beer were inside the vehicle.
Deputies also found the 7-month-old child in the front passenger seat without an age-appropriate child safety seat, according to the sheriff’s office.
Moncada Padilla was taken to Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office headquarters in Riverhead for processing. He was charged with driving while intoxicated under Leandra’s Law and other related offenses.
Leandra’s Law makes it a felony in New York to drive while intoxicated with a passenger age 15 or younger. The law is named for Leandra Rosado, an 11-year-old who was killed in a 2009 crash involving an allegedly intoxicated driver.
Sheriff Errol Toulon said the traffic stop removed an allegedly impaired driver from the roadway and may have prevented a tragedy involving the child.
Moncada Padilla is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Photo: Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office
