Riverhead Driver Charged With Leandra's Law DWI After Afternoon Traffic Stop

Riverhead Town police pulled over a 2021 Toyota Tacoma near Northville Turnpike and Union Avenue on Saturday afternoon and found three children, the youngest just 3 months old, riding with an allegedly intoxicated driver.

The highway patrol unit initiated the traffic stop at about 1:13 p.m. on March 7 for traffic violations. The driver, Amilcar Carreto Lopez, 31, of Riverhead, was found to be intoxicated while operating the vehicle, according to police. Along with the three children, ages 3 months, 2 years and 4 years, an adult passenger was also present in the vehicle.

Carreto Lopez was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, elevated to a felony under Leandra's Law because of the children's presence in the vehicle, and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. His Toyota Tacoma was impounded following the arrest. He was processed and held for arraignment Sunday morning, police said.

Leandra's Law, named for 11-year-old Leandra Rosado who was killed in a 2009 drunk-driving crash in New York City, makes it an automatic felony to drive while intoxicated with a passenger under the age of 16 in the vehicle.

Details about whether field sobriety or chemical breath tests were administered, the identity of the adult passenger, and the custody arrangements made for the three children after the stop were not disclosed in the initial police account. The Suffolk County District Attorney's office has not publicly announced how it intends to proceed with the felony charge.

Riverhead police have sustained a visible DWI enforcement presence in recent months, including sobriety checkpoints during last year's Stop-DWI Labor Day weekend operation that produced four arrests and a vehicle seizure on Sound Avenue, West Lane, and Peconic Avenue near Heidi Behr Way.

Carreto Lopez has not been convicted. The charges against him are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.