Newsday.com
Bail set for driver accused of killing vet in wheelchair
BY JENNIFER BARRIOS
[email protected]
11:57 AM EST, December 8, 2008
Bail was set at $150,000 today for a Ronkonkoma woman accused of killing a veteran in a wheelchair while she was driving drunk, then fleeing the scene.
First District Court Judge Joseph Santorelli in Central Islip set bail for Lauren Dean, 24, after hearing the prosecutor allege that Dean had been driving with a blood-alcohol level of .242 when she hit the veteran in Coram early on Sunday morning.
Dean was arraigned on three misdemeanor charges and a felony, leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in a death, her attorney, John Russo of Central Islip said.
He said he expected his client to face additional charges later.
Russo called the bail amount "exhorbitant," especially since no evidence was presented at the hearing.
"Given the climate and the severity of the charges, it's to be expected," Russo said.
Dean's family, including her parents and her boyfriend, attended the arraignment but left without comment.
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