Man with DWI History Found Guilty in Drunken Long Beach Crash

Photo: Intersection where crash happened in 2013. Credit: Google Maps

An eight-time drunk driving offender was found guilty in connection with a drunken crash in Long Beach last year, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s office.

Morgan Smith, of Kingston, was found guilty by a jury Friday of felony DWI after two hours of deliberation, said the DA.

Smith could face up to four years in prison and will have his license revoked for one year, said the DA. If he reapplies, he will not be allowed to get a new license based on having at least five prior drunk driving convictions in his lifetime, officials said.

Only one of Smith’s seven former convictions were able to be counted in the case because of “Vince’s Law,” which restricts how many prior convictions more than 10 years old can be reviewed, said the DA.

“All of this defendant’s prior DWIs should be used to increase the charge and the possible sentence against him, not just the one prior DWI in the last 10 years,” reacted NCDA Kathleen Rice in a statement Monday. “Since the DMV already looks at a driver’s lifetime history for re-licensing, the criminal justice system should be given the same authority to keep the public safe from drunk drivers who repeatedly disregard the law.”

Smith’s latest conviction stems from a November 2013 crash in Long Beach. Smith reportedly drove a 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse onto a sidewalk before slamming into a tree on Long Beach Boulevard near East Market Street, officials said.

Smith was the only person injured in the crash, cops said.

Long Beach Police and Long Beach Fire Department responded and determined Smith was drunk at the wheel before he was treated and placed under arrest, said the DA.

“Thanks to the testimony of first responders and police officers about the defendant’s intoxication, along with the careful consideration of the evidence by a Nassau County jury, this defendant will be held accountable for his actions even though he refused to submit to a blood-alcohol test,” Rice said.

Smith is due back in court Nov. 19.

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