Seaford, NY - December 26, 2018 - The Nassau County Police Department reports the arrest of an Oakland Gardens man for driving While Intoxicated that occurred on Tuesday, December 25th, 2018 at 03:35 AM in Seaford.
According to police, a highway patrol officer was driving west on Sunrise Highway in Seaford, when he noticed headlights in the westbound lane quickly coming towards him. The officer immediately activated all of his emergency lights and angled his car to block all three westbound lanes in order to prevent an accident from occurring.
The vehicle traveling in the wrong direction subsequently was stopped and an investigation was conducted by the officer. The operator of the vehicle, Santiago Atehortua Gaviria, 22, of Oakland Gardens, NY, was observed to have glassy red bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, an odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and unsteady on his feet.
The defendant was placed under arrest without incident and his vehicle, a 1998 Honda Civic was impounded. Santiago Atehortua Gaviria is charged with Driving While Intoxicated, Reckless Driving and several other violations of the Vehicle and Traffic Law. He will be arraigned on 12/25/2018 at First District Court in Hempstead.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.