Holbrook Man Caught Driving Drunk With 7-Month-Old In Truck On Long Island Expressway: Sheriff

HOLBROOK, NY — A Holbrook man was arrested on Sunday after being caught driving with a seven-month-old child in his vehicle in Patchogue on Sunday night, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon's office said.

Deputy sheriffs arrested Carlos Moncada Padilla, 44, for driving while intoxicated under Leandra's Law, and other related offences, according to his office.

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Leandra's Law, which is also known as the Child Passenger Protection Act, makes it a felony in the state to operate a motor vehicle while intoxicated with a passenger age 15 or younger.

The law is named in memory of 11-year-old Leandra Rosado, who was killed in a 2009 crash on the Henry Hudson Parkway involving an intoxicated driver.

He was one of two local drivers charged under the law over the weekend. A mom was also charged after being caught with her two young kids in her car after a crash in Brookhaven.

At around 10:45 p.m., deputies saw a 2013 Dodge Ram traveling westbound on the Long Island Expressway, near Exit 65 in Patchogue, and it repeatedly failed to maintain its lane, crossing over the lane markings several times, Toulon's office said.

During the traffic stop, deputies saw that Moncada Padilla had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, unsteady movements, and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath, according to his office.

When asked how much he had consumed, Padilla stated, "Two beers," but deputies also saw five open glass bottles of Modelo beer inside the vehicle, Toulon's office said.

The seven-month-old child was found in the front passenger seat of the vehicle and was not properly secured in an age-appropriate child safety seat as required by law, according to Toulon's office.

Padilla was arrested and taken to the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office Headquarters in Riverhead for processing.

Toulon said his deputies are patrolling our roadways every day to help keep the public safe.

"This arrest not only removed an impaired driver from our roads but also may have prevented a tragedy involving a young child," he said. "I commend our deputies for their vigilance and commitment to protecting the residents of Suffolk County.