BELLPORT MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO VEHICULAR ASSAULT FOR CRASH THAT SERIOUSLY INJURED A PEDESTRIAN

(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Michael Turner, 51, of Bellport, pleaded guilty to vehicular assault and other related charges, for driving while impaired by both alcohol and phencyclidine (PCP), striking a pedestrian with his vehicle, and then fleeing the scene.

“This defendant not only chose to drive a car after drinking alcohol and ingesting PCP, but after striking and seriously injuring a pedestrian, he fled the scene leaving the victim lying in the street,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Today’s plea assures that the defendant is held accountable for his selfish actions and should set an example that drugged and drunk driving will not be tolerated in Suffolk County.”

According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, on May 20, 2023, at approximately 5:40 a.m., the victim was walking at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Agamemnon Avenue in Bellport. Turner, who was driving a 2008 Chevy Impala, struck the victim with his vehicle and then drove away without stopping to render aid or call 911. The victim sustained serious injuries from the collision including multiple fractures to his skull, back, and leg, and was transported to Long Island Community Hospital in Patchogue for treatment.

A good Samaritan heard the crash, saw the victim on the ground, and called 911 to report the incident. This concerned citizen then followed Turner’s car long enough to provide the license plate number to police. Law enforcement tracked the vehicle and arrested Turner later that night. Subsequent toxicology testing revealed Turner’s blood alcohol concentration was .04% and that he also had PCP in his system.

On April 19, 2024, Turner pleaded guilty to the following charges before Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven A. Pilewski:

• Vehicular Assault in the Second Degree, a Class E felony;
• Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting, a Class E felony; and
• Driving While Ability Impaired by the Combined Influence of Alcohol and a Drug, an Unclassified misdemeanor.

Turner is due back in court for sentencing on June 12, 2024. He is being represented by Katherine Fernandez, Esq.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ray Varuolo of the Vehicular Crime Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective Matthew Messina of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Fifth Squad.

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Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.

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