According to police Zona Taylor, of Bellport, was driving a van with her 8-year-old child and two grandchildren in her van when she collided with another vehicle. The driver of the other vehicle and at least one of the children were injured in the crash, but police say that didn’t deter the intoxicated woman from grabbing the children and attempting to flee the area. She actually did flee the area and was apprehended by police a short time later near Bellport after her vehicle became disabled.
Now Taylor is facing a litany of charges including DWI, aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child passenger 15 years old or younger. That’s right, New York has a special law which heaps more charges on drunk drivers who not only risk their lives and the life everyone who shares the road with them, but also those who decide to risk the life of a child by forcing them to be a passenger in the vehicle while they are driving drunk.
There is no word on whether or not Taylor has a lawyer and she has yet to make a statement regarding her guilt or innocence but it seems likely she will be unable to explain why she was driving drunk following the collision she had with another vehicle much less why she had children in her vehicle at the time.