A Bellport man who admitted being behind the wheel of a car while drunk and high on drugs, hitting a pedestrian, then fleeing the scene, entered a guilty plea to charges related to the crash.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced that 51-year-old Michael Turner, 51, of Bellport, pleaded guilty to vehicular assault and other related accident related charges.
According to Suffolk County’s top prosecutor, Turner came clean and admitted that in May of last year, he mowed down the victim at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Agamemnon Avenue in Bellport.
Thankfully a good samaritan heard the hit and run and was able to grab the license plate of the 2008 Chevy Impala Turner now admits to driving. This allowed police to make a quick arrest. Turner was cuffed quickly and placed behind bars later that same night.
The victim suffered serious injuries, including multiple skull fractures, along with fractures to their back, and leg. At the time they were rushed to Long Island Community Hospital in Patchogue for treatment.
“This defendant not only chose to drive a car after drinking alcohol and ingesting PCP, but after striking and seriously injuring a pedestrian, he fled the scene leaving the victim lying in the street. This plea assures that the defendant is held accountable for his selfish actions and should set an example that drugged and drunk driving will not be tolerated in Suffolk County,” said District Attorney Tierney.
Law enforcement tracked the vehicle and arrested Turner later that night. Subsequent toxicology testing revealed Turner’s blood alcohol concentration was .04% and that he also had PCP in his system.
This past week, Turner pleaded guilty to multiple charges before Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven A. Pilewsk, including: Vehicular Assault in the Second Degree, a Class E felony; Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting, a Class E felony; and Driving While Ability Impaired by the Combined Influence of Alcohol and a Drug, an Unclassified misdemeanor.
Turner is due back in court for sentencing on June 12th, 2024.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ray Varuolo of the Vehicular Crime Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detective Matthew Messina of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Fifth Squad.