Mar 13, 2006 ... when he collided with a black 2005 Hyundai Tiburon being operated by 19-year-
old Francescia. Caballero at the intersection of 111th Street ...
Release #65-2006 ww w.queensda.org
DISTRICT ATTORNEY QUEENS COUNTY 125-01 QUEENS BOULEVARD KEW GARDENS, NEW YORK 11415-1568 718-286-6000
RICHARD A. BROWN D ISTRICT A TTORNEY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2006
CONTACT: KEVIN RYAN NICOLE NAVAS MERIS CAMPBELL (718) 286-6315
D.A. BROWN: ALLEGEDLY UNLICENSED RICHMOND HILL DRIVER INVOLVED IN MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT IS ARRAIGNED ON DWI CHARGES Allegedly Fled Scene After Collision, Seriously Injuring Queens Teenager Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown today announced that a 23-year-old allegedly unlicensed male motorist has been arraigned on charges of driving while under the influence of alcohol after colliding with another vehicle and seriously injuring the other driver, a 19-year-old student. The defendant allegedly then fled the scene and reported his car stolen. District Attorney Brown said, “The defendant is accused of getting behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol and without a valid driver’s license and being involved in a traffic accident in which a young woman was seriously injured. The defendant now faces felony drunk driving charges.” District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Balram Paray, 23, of 86-03 105th Street in Richmond Hill, Queens. The defendant was arraigned this afternoon before Queens Criminal Court Judge William Harrington on charges of Vehicular Assault in the Second Degree (Vasean’s Law), Leaving the Scene Without Reporting, Falsely Reporting an Incident in the Third Degree, Driving While Under the Influence of Alcohol, and Driving by Unlicensed Operator. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison. Judge Harrington set bail at $25,000 and ordered a return date of March 28, 2006. The District Attorney said that the criminal complaint charges that on Sunday, March 12, 2006, at about 2:10 a.m., the defendant was driving a 1999 Blue Nissan with Florida license plates when he collided with a black 2005 Hyundai Tiburon being operated by 19-year-old Francescia Caballero at the intersection of 111th Street and 86th Avenue. Ms. Caballero, who sustained internal injuries in the crash, was immediately rushed to Jamaica Hospital for surgery. District Attorney Brown said that according to the charges the defendant fled the scene on foot and, once arriving home, called police telling them that his car had been stolen. It is further alleged that the defendant could not produce a valid driver’s license when asked to do so and was observed to have an odor of alcohol on his breath. District Attorney Brown said that the complaint additionally charges that an intoxilyzer test administered to the defendant resulted in a reading of .104 percent blood alcohol content. The legal limit in New York is .08 percent. District Attorney Brown said that the defendant was arrested by police officers of the New York City Police Department’s 102nd Precinct. Assistant District Attorney Jasmine Chang of the District Attorney’s Homicide Investigations Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Peter T. Reese, Bureau Chief, Peter J. McCormack III, Deputy Bureau Chief, and Richard B. Schaeffer, Senior Trial Attorney, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Charles A. Testagrossa and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders. It should be noted that a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. # Note to Editors: Press release e-version posted at www.queensda.org.
